Another Light: The Story of Ayae
by PureWaterLily
Summary: Bloodshed and tears, death and destruction, withered hopes and dreams. There are some people who will scream in the night if they saw it all. Itachi endured it. And this girl? Well, she has never seen any of it and never will. He promises. ItaOC.
1. Preface

Hey, Lily here. I introduce you to my first story. As you can see by the word count, it's long. Extremely long. So, let me give a brief overview, which can hopefully help you decide whether you want to read this or not:

1. This is an ItaOC story. Sorta. It's complicated.

2. This story is a child's narrative. The diction/structure is childish, becoming more mature towards the end.

3. The story is slice-of-life, episodic, and organized into arcs.

3. The story is faithful. Meaning, I make up whatever I want, as long as I do not contradict canon. Because Kishimoto is notorious for timeline inconsistencies, in the case canon contradicts itself, I pick the one that suits my purposes. There are OCs, but familiar names are not coincidences, except for two.

4. The pronunciation of Ayae's name is a headache. Don't ask; there's no English equivalent.

[Note: this story was written three years ago. Three years ago, I couldn't write shit. Needless to say, currently undergoing revision.]

* * *

Preface

Preface

He was the genius.

I was ignorant compared to him, who experienced things beyond his years. I loved playing and dancing; he loved training. I hoped for tomorrow; he wished for death. I saw the world in colors; he saw it in black and white. I was weak; he was strong. I had friends; he had enemies. We were both different from everyone else, and we attracted each other. That's opposites for you.

My name is Uchiha Ayae.

I was born in the capital of the Land of Fire with my parents. It was an extravagant city, and I loved it there. My memories go back to when I was five, wandering the big, bustling streets by myself. Naturally, I was scared, unable to find my parents anywhere. But I loved the rush and adventure, and kept pushing forward. Eventually, I stumbled across a street vendor, who gave me a stick of barbecue while he asked around for my parents. Pretty soon, my parents ran to my side.

My father lifted me and squeezed me until I was blue. My mother thanked the vendor, and then gave me a scolding face. I gave her the puppy eyes, and she loosened up, smiled, and hugged me too. I laughed, shouting "Victory!" because I escaped punishment once again.

That was my family: my mom, my dad, and me.

It did not last long though. About a year from that incident, mom got sick. The doctor said she was going to be fine, but she was not. She got worse, broke into sweats, and saw things that were not there. Sometimes she would sleep the entire day.

And one day, she did not wake up.

Since I was so young when she passed away, I only had flashes of images of her. It did not matter though, because I knew she was the kindest and prettiest mother ever.

But my dad was a different story. With my mother gone, he did not do well at work. His boss told to him to do better, but he could not. He became more stressed and sad.

Meanwhile, I was placed under the care of one of our nice neighbors, a nanny who could sympathize with our situation. So I lived with the nanny during the day, and at night, I would see my dad come home from work, all tired.

It was my responsibility to cheer him up. I once drew him a picture of him, me, mommy, and even the nanny in yellow crayon. He smiled as soon as he saw that. Later, I showed it to the nanny, and she was overwhelmed with joy. I went to bed that night, pleased with myself.

Unfortunately, my dad was later fired, and without a job, we were forced to move. I was unsure of where we were going, but we packed up. And with a wagon, we set off to be with our relatives. Next thing I knew, I was in the military village of Konoha.


	2. Introduction Arc: Welcome to Konoha

"Ayae honey, did you see where the last box went?" my dad asked me.

He walked from door to door, peeking into each room and counting the cardboard boxes. I took off my sandals and dirtied my socks on the floor. I wrinkled my nose at the dust in the air of our new house. I looked around, wondering how I could call this empty place home when it looked so cold.

I shrugged the thought away and dashed across the place, searching and counting the boxes with our belongings.

Four... Five... Six... Wasn't there seven? I double checked and furrowed my eyebrows when I counted six again. That was not right. We came with one more.

Now seeing my dad's concern, I ran out the front door just in time to see the driver leave, the back of the wagon empty.

"No, I can't find it! What's missing?" I called back to my dad, who moved on to the kitchen.

In the living room were cardboard boxes scribbled with words like 'clothes,' 'kitchenware,' or 'furniture.' In the bedrooms, the boxes had in marker: 'more clothes,' 'papers and files' and 'books.' I could not put my finger on the missing box.

Then I remembered.

"The crap box!" I shouted, pounding a fist in my hand.

"What?" My dad was now rummaging the fridge for a cup of yogurt. He was too tired to look more. It was not like we had anything important. He also had the "It'll turn up eventually" saying, which just meant he was lazy.

"The crap box," I said. "That one with the stuff stored away in the attic, remember? The stuff we don't use? That's the box we're missing!"

I rushed downstairs. But on the way, I bumped into another person. I jumped back to see a stranger in the living room.

"Excuse me, young lady?" The stranger was an old man with gray hair. He wore traditional clothes and had a round symbol on his collar. I recognized it as the same fan on all the flags hanging outside this weird place.

Then I saw, to my shock, that there were other people with the old man. All of them had black hair and eyes, but I had no clue who they were. I was so sure they were not there before.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked. Suddenly, all the strangers stared at me. I wanted to run back up the stairs again, scared. Thankfully, my dad came from the kitchen.

He was taken by surprise too. He set aside his yogurt and fumbled with his glasses. "Who are you?" he asked, and I giggled at how stupid he sounded asking my same question.

The elder turned to him and frowned. "I see. Like father, like daughter. I am the leader of the clan, and I was about to welcome you to our... neighborhood. However, you do not seem to be familiar with politeness. And your daughter, such disgusting language! And at such an infant age. Imagine what she would be like in-"

"Hey!" I said. "I'm not a baby! I'm almost eight! And are you trying to say we're _rude_? Well YOU are being rude by coming into our house without knockin-"

I was muffled by my dad, who pulled me close, his face red in embarrassment. "A-ha-ha! She doesn't mean it. You see, while we were traveling on the wagon here, which, by the way, was such a long ride, she picked up a few words and habits from the other travelers in the group, and as you can see, they, in a way, influenced her speech. She never knew any of those words before, oh no, she didn't, or her mother would lecture for days on in, but you know, what can you do, children these days learn things fast... Ah, anyway, I apologize for her, and, yeah..." His rambling died off when he saw the elder was uninterested.

"See to it that she is corrected. Children should not be heard," the elder said.

My dad flushed red again and scratched his head. "I'm sorry. I haven't introduced myself. I'm Uchiha Kenta, and this is my little girl, Ayae."

"Hi-" I muffled _again _by my dad.

The elder pretended I was not there. He then gave the name of every person in our living room. I dully listened, but my father shook hands and tried to remember all the names before he forgot.

Bored, I was about to leave, but I stopped when I saw that there were kids in the room too. Since they were all so stiff, I mistook them for grownups.

Two kids stood out to me. The one that got my eye first was the boy stifling a chuckle when my dad misheard a name badly. He froze when he heard his own name called.

"... and this child is Shisui. The younger one is Fugaku's kid, Itachi."

"Shisui and Itachi. Got it," my dad mumbled.

The adults moved on, and the two kids looked at me. I jumped when I got caught staring, but relaxed when the taller one, the one chuckling earlier, waved to me. I waved back. He did not come and talk to me though.

That was when I looked at the other kid. I was happy to see him, because he was short, like me, so he had to be about my age. I missed playing with my friends, and I hoped he might talk to me.

But like the taller kid, he stood in place, and _stared_. Creepy.

The kids here were not like the ones at the capital, who would run up to me at first sight, and we'd play tag, or eagle-and-hen, or hide-and-seek whenever my parents talked with their parents.

I kept glancing over to the stairs. In the end, I decided to wait. The adults welcomed my dad and gave him gifts. When they left our living room, my dad gave goodbyes and goofy smiles until he closed the door. And locked it.

"Hey dad."

"Yes, honey?"

"I don't like them," I said. "Can we move back? I promised Mayu that we would go to the playground this weekend. Or was it the last?"

"Didn't you tell her that we were moving?"

"Yes. She told me to go anyway."

My father sighed and knelt beside me. "Listen, honey. We aren't going back. This is our new home, okay? And please, PLEASE be nice to those people. If it weren't for them, we could be somewhere worse. If you ever pass by one of them again, promise me that you will go to them and say 'I'm sorry' for the way you behaved today."

"But-"

"No but-"

"_But-_"

"Promise daddy?" he asked.

I pouted. "Fine."

"Another thing. Do not ever, EVER say bad words in front of them again."

"What bad words?" I asked.

"You know, like crap and hell-"

"Ooh! Daddy said bad words!" I giggled and pointed at him.

The next thing I knew, my dad tackled me to the floor and tickled my toes. "You little genius! You knew I'd fall for that!" Both of us were smothered by a layer of dust, but we laughed in the cloud, not stopping until my dad coughed.

"You okay, daddy?"

"Yeah." He sat up again, and then jumped. "Oh, _dear lord_! Where did you come from?"

In the room was the kid from before, the one my age. He looked amused, and then turned all creepy like before. In his hands was a wrapped package.

"My mother wanted this delivered to you. She said she would have liked to meet your family, but she had other matters to attend to."

Coming around from his bewilderment, my dad accepted the package.

"Tell her I said thanks, um..."

"Uchiha Itachi," the kid said.

"Right," my dad said, looking at the package. He sniffed it. "Hey, are these cookies? Ooh, give her extra thanks! We hadn't had a decent homemade meal for some time. Well, this isn't exactly a meal, it's more of dessert, but it's still made in the home, of course, unless your mother bought it at the store and, well, you get the point. Anyways, thank you again. By the way, when did-" My dad looked up to see the kid was gone. "-you come here..." He turned to me. "Where'd he go?"

I shrugged. I saw the kid one second, and I did not see him the next second. My dad shuddered, before he went into the kitchen and set all the gifts down on the table. Then he came back into the living room and checked the lock on the door again. It was still bolted.

Taking my hand, he led me into the kitchen. We sat in the set of chairs that came with the house, and unwrapped each gift. We got china, incense, a wall scroll, a gold ornament, a few books, and finally, a plate of cookies and a doll. The last two came from the package that kid gave us.

I took the doll. It was made of porcelain, and there were outfits.

Beside the doll and cookies, the gifts were expensive and... how should I put it? Junk.

My dad thought the same. "Do you know what this means?" he asked, dressing a cookie with his unfinished yogurt.

I grabbed a cookie and shook my head. "That people here like to give stupid things?"

"Well yeah, that," he agreed. "And that next time, we must give them equally expensive gifts."

"Just send these back and give them to different people."

"Smart! I should have remembered who gave what."

"These cookies are _good_," I said, finding myself unable to stop eating them.

"Yes, they are," he said, as we both reached for the last two cookies.

.

Days later, my dad's saying of "It'll turn up eventually" worked. Our box was on the front steps of our home, with a note saying, 'Is this pile of garbage your belonging?' We did not know whether to be hurt or thankful.

We unpacked the box with the rest of our things. The stuff in the box was not missed. Some tape, a bunch of ink-less pens, wrinkled papers. At the bottom was everything I had outgrown. We decided to give the stuff to charity. My dad heard there was an orphanage nearby.

Meanwhile, I loved the doll and brought it with me everywhere. Before we left our house, I reached for it first.

My dad was carrying the box, so when he spoke to me, I saw cardboard instead of his face.

"Have you given her a name yet?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Not yet."

We walked together down the district. I looked everywhere, not believing how this place could be on the same planet as my old home. The cobblestone sidewalk was swept and washed clean. The houses hanged many lanterns. It was so unlike the capital filled with dirty streets and high apartments. This new place was also quiet. The capital had _no _place without eighty people next to you.

Since every house looked the same, I lost interest and went back to my doll. A button on the doll's dress was missing, and I was trying to pull the two fabrics together, tugging one edge of the cloth through the button hole.

At the gate of the district, a guard stopped us.

"What's in the box?" the guard asked.

"Oh, um, well, we just moved here, and we have some things we no longer need, so we are going to donate it to the orphanage here. There is an orphanage here right?" my dad said, his head tilted away from the box so he could look at the guard.

"We will give it to them for you," the guard said, reaching for the box.

My dad moved the box away from him. By doing so, he slammed the cardboard box against the other guard. My dad did not see that the other guard was wincing as his stomach was hit again and again by the box. "Oh no, no, no. No thank you! We can do it ourselves," my dad said.

"We can deliver it more efficiently, and it would be our pleasure." It did not sound like it was, not with that humdrum tone.

"We can do it. It's okay," my dad said.

"I assure you that it will be delivered safely," the guard insisted, annoyed, and grabbed the box. My dad pulled back. I snickered when the adults had a tug-o-war with the box.

"Listen mister- … whatever your name is. My daughter and I want to be more familiar with Konoha, and I wish to show her the school here. Since the orphanage is right next to it, and we are heading there anyway, we will be bringing this, thank you!"

My dad looked triumphant, and the guard was red with frustration.

"Listen," the guard said, gritting his teeth. "I was given orders to make sure all objects that move in and out of this district are under regulations. Now hand me the damn box!"

I pointed at the guard. "You cursed!" I gasped.

"Good job, sweetie." My dad smiled.

That was the last straw for the guard, who looked ready to explode. "WHY YOU-"

"Is something wrong?" There was a new voice, spooking everyone. It was the kid who gave us the doll and cookies. He was carrying a backpack and looked like he was passing through the gate too. I never saw him come. He just _appeared_, and I had to rub my eyes to make sure.

The two guards stiffed, and the one in a brawl with my dad looked like he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Ah, Itachi. Good evening. Nothing is wrong. How is your father doing?" the guard asked. Instead of being all in-command and tough, he was super polite.

"Fine," the kid said, without a blink. "But it seems that they are dissatisfied with something."

The guard stuttered, "Oh no, I was just explaining Uchiha policy to them."

My dad sighed. "Apparently, we cannot bring items outside of the district. Oh well, we shouldn't argue over something this ridiculous in front of the kids. I guess-"

"I've heard of no such policy," the kid said.

The guard winced. "They are new orders and..."

"Does that mean you will have to confiscate my items too? My father will be displeased if I showed up without my weapons." The kid raised an eyebrow, daring the guard to keep going.

"Of course not!" the guard said, in a sweat.

"Then I do not see why this 'new policy' permits me to bring kunai and explosive powder, while they cannot bring what appears to be ordinary toys," the kid said.

The guard stuttered again and gave up, letting us through. I turned around to see the other guard mocking the guard that stopped us. I think he was saying something along the lines of "You are _so _going to get it..."

The kid walked with us, because we were headed the same way. As we walked further away from the district, the streets turned city-like. I smiled. The place did not look as weird.

"Hey, Itachi, right?" my dad began. "Thanks for your help. You see, we are new here and, well, you would already know that, how silly of me, since you were there at-"

"You should have given him the box," the kid said.

I looked up from my doll.

"What do you mean?" my dad asked.

Itachi looked at the box my dad was lugging. "You could have dropped it off, but you chose to carry more weight. Why?"

"Oh, it's actually pretty light, and it's no problem for an adult like me. They are mostly just toys, so I really won't be tired from-"

"Why?" the kid asked again.

My dad stopped and looked at the boy though his glasses. I stopped too, and looked back and forth between the two of them.

"I have my reasons. You wouldn't understand ye-"

"Try me."

My dad smiled. "Let us just say it's much more to give gifts in person. The toys aren't what's important. What is important is to be there and talk to them. See their smiles when they receive something. They want direct love from another person. That's why we must go. Right, Ayae?"

I nodded, since my dad was always right.

After the small pause, the kid said, "I see."

Then, just when I thought he was about to ask more, he walked away. "The orphanage is down this street. Turn a right by the bookstore, then a left at the second intersection. I must leave now."

"Oh, okay. Thank you!" my dad said, then nudged me.

"Thank you," I said.

The kid looked at me. "Her name is Utako."

I blinked. "What?"

"The doll."

And then he _disappeared_.

I closed my dangled mouth and turned to look at my dad. He shook his head.

"That is one cool technique," he said.

I nodded.

"This isn't the first time he did that."

I nodded.

"Think I can learn how to do that?"

I shook my head.

"Aw, come on! I can be like _ninja dad_!"

I furiously shook my head. He laughed.

"Yeah, you're right. I'd get a heart attack."

We followed the kid's words and sure enough, we ended up at the orphanage. Well, after twenty streets, a billion turns, two dango, one restroom stop, and one block of being chased by an angry grandpa. We got lost, only slightly. I think it was because we turned at the third road, not the second.

By the time we reached the orphanage, my dad fell onto the ground after lugging the box through all that.

.

At the orphanage, my dad was surrounded by children. Meanwhile, I did some exploration. I slipped up the stairs, and through the halls, peeking into each room. Most rooms were empty. Then there was the door at the end.

Sitting in a crib was a toddler. I approached the bars, and found myself looking at bluest eyes ever. I was so in awe that I jumped when he spoke.

"Nar'to."

I glanced around the room, before clutching my doll closer. "What?"

"Nar'to," the toddler said again, pointing to himself.

"Naruto," I said, pointing at him.

He nodded. "Okay. Ayae." I pointed to myself.

He looked confused, so I said my name again. "Ayae."

Nothing.

"Ayae. Me. I'm Ayae."

Still nothing.

"You. Naruto." I pointed at him. "Me. Ayae." I pointed at me.

The toddler blinked, and then pointed his finger at me, giggling. "Nar'to."

"Huh? No, YOU are Naruto. I am Ayae."

"Nar'to!"

I gave up, hanging my head. Meanwhile, Naruto jumped, pointing to me again and again. "Nar'to, Nar'to!"

"Ayae! Where are you? We are going now!" my dad called.

At his voice, I stood up. "Bye-bye, Naruto," I said.

However, before I could leave, I felt a tug at the rim of my doll's dress. Naruto stuck his hand out of the bars, pulling on the doll.

"Hey, let go." I pulled, but he would not to let go. "Come on, Naruto. I have to go."

Naruto whined, "No go."

"I have to _go_! Stop! You'll rip the dress!" I tried to pry his fingers off the dress, but stopped in fear of ripping the dress. I stomped on the ground. "Get another doll! This is mine, Naruto!"

"Ayae, I thought I told you, there is no mine, only ours." My dad entered the room.

"Thank you, zen daddy," I said, rolling my eyes. "Naruto won't let go of my doll."

"_NARUTO_!" A shriek sent me backwards. Next to my dad was a lady. "Give that back now!"

The sheer loudness in her voice made me cringe. It was also enough for Naruto to let go of the hem.

"Oh my goodness, I am _so_sorry Mr. Uchiha. And you little girl, hope you weren't hurt?" the lady asked me, her voice honey-coated. I shrunk, not liking the way she hovered over me.

"Everything is all right. The little one just wants to play with the doll," my dad reassured. He crouched down next to the toddler and began making funny faces, and Naruto laughed, reaching his hand out.

"Say _daddy_, Naruto."

The toddler did not, but my dad went on. "Come on. Say daddy. Daddy. Come on!"

"Mr. Uchiha!" the lady gasped.

"Dada," Naruto said.

"Yes! Call me _Dada_from now on, Naruto." He tickled Naruto on the belly, and Naruto fell on the bedding, giggling.

"Dada! Dada!"

My dad stood up, and told the lady, "I must say, you have a bright child here, ma'am."

The lady frowned. "Yes," she said politely. "Naruto sure is... special."

"Okay, Naruto. Dada has to go now. It was a pleasure to meet you," my dad said, before the lady rushed us out.

Before the lady could shut the door, I looked back. Naruto still had his hand out. He looked sad.

On the road, I had Utako in one hand, and took my dad's hand in the other. The walk to the school was not long. We soon arrived at a building, white with red doors and orange roof tiles. The building was _huge_, as I had to look all the way up to the sky. One... two... three... I counted _four_floors.

Inside, the halls were empty, most people home already. There were posters everywhere on the walls. A code of conduct was on the doors of a classroom.

_Rules: No loitering. No talking while the teacher is talking. No drawing on desks. No food or drinks while class is in session. Tardiness is never excused. Respect everyone and their belongings_.

I gulped. I did not know that many rules even existed.

"Daddy?" I said, giving my dad a tug. "Do I _have_to go to this place?" I got a bad feeling in my stomach, causing me to be all nervous.

"Relax, sweetie," my dad said. "School can be scary at first."

"But I don't want to go. I don't know anyone, and this place... it's so _big_. What if I'm lost, and no one finds me, and I starve, and die, and then-"

"Whoa, don't let your imagination get carried away. Listen." He bent down so he was at eye level. "If you go, just one day, then you don't ever have to come back here again. If you want, that is. But you must promise daddy that you will try it first. Give it a chance."

I shook my head.

"Please? Don't you trust me?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Then trust me that you will be alright. I was a kid once, and went to school. So did mommy. We made it, didn't we?"

"But-"

"_And_if you do this for me, then someone will get an ice cream cone today."

"But... B-but. No fair! Okay, chocolate."

"That's my brave girl." He stood back up, and patted my back. "Come on. Let's get out of here. It's giving me the creepy jeepies."

"_DAD_!"

We left through the back, and viewed the yard. I liked the playground, hopping on one of the swings. Then, we made our way back to the district, stopping by a dessert shop along the way, where my dad got two chocolate ice cream cones.

When we came home, the guards left us alone. My dad waved, but both pretended to not see.

The next day was Saturday. We unpacked the remaining boxes. For the rest of that day, we left for Konoha to shop for food. My dad told me he had to leave on Sunday, so he left me in the care of one of our relatives, which was the lady who sent us the cookies.

Because this lady was a housewife, she was okay looking after me. She was the _only_one who would look after me. Even then, her husband did not look happy about it. But he would not be home whenever I crashed over, so it turned out okay.

That morning, the lady cooked me a delicious breakfast. She chatted with me at the table. I liked her. She always smiled, like my mom, though I was sure my mom had bushier hair and spoke much, much louder.

"How old are you, Ayae dear?"

"I am seven and a half."

"Oh? I have a son, Itachi, who is about the same age."

"I know him."

"You do?"

"Yes, he's the kid that gave my dad heart attacks."

"Oh my. What happened?" she asked, the corner of her lips twitching.

"He poofed out of nothing! Like a ghost," I said, wiggling my fingers to show the creepiness. "It was scary."

She laughed.

"Auntie?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you very much for the doll," I said, lifting Utako from my lap.

"Ah! No problem. When I heard a girl was moving in to our neighborhood, I thought of her. Her name is Utako."

"Mhm! I know. Itachi told me."

Her eyes widened. "He did?"

"Yeah. Utako is a nice name, Auntie."

Her face turned pink. "Yes, I guess it is. I didn't realize Itachi knew. I've never told anyone I kept such an old thing."

"Maybe he saw you with it, but you didn't know he was there. He shows up a lot."

"Could be." Aunt Mikoto tucked back a strand of hair and looked down at the table, smiling sadly. I found it weird, how she always looked happy and sad at the same time. Then she spoke again.

"Well, Ayae, Utako is yours now. Me, a grown woman playing with dolls." Her face went back to pink. "And I'm sorry that it's such an old thing. I know children nowadays are all about the newest things."

"Oh no, no! I like Utako. I like her a lot. Thank you for giving her to me, Auntie!"

"You are very welcome," she said.

Suddenly, there was a thump upstairs. Auntie told me to stay while she ran upstairs. When she came back, she was holding the hand of a toddler.

"Who's he?" I asked.

"This is my child, Sasuke. Sasuke, say hello," she said, stroking his hair.

"Hello," the toddler said.

"Hello, Sasuke," I greeted.

Aunt Mikoto placed Sasuke down on a chair and reached for the cupboards. She filled a cup with warmed milk from the stove. Turning to me, she asked, "Would you like anything to drink, dear? Tea?"

I shook my head. I did not like tea. Instead, I asked for milk too. She nodded, and went to retrieve another cup.

Sasuke drank. He looked at me, then drank some more.

"Who are you?" he asked, after he finished.

Aunt Mikoto answered for me. "Sasuke, this is Ayae. She is our guest, and she will be staying with us."

Sasuke had nothing to say.

"Are you still hungry?" Aunt Mikoto asked him.

"No."

"Would you like to go outside and play with Ayae?"

He shook his head.

I pouted my lips, disappointed. As much as I liked Aunt Mikoto, I wanted to go outside and play.

"Where Brother Itachi?" Sasuke asked.

Aunt Mikoto said, "I'm afraid he's not here. He is training with Father."

"I want play with Itachi," Sasuke whined.

"Why not with Ayae? She would like to play with you."

The toddler glanced at me. "Itachi," he told her.

Aunt Mikoto sighed. "Why don't you go back to sleep, then? I'll wake you up when your brother comes home."

"Okay."

The two went up the stairs again. Restless, I climbed off my chair and explored the house. The house had pretty things, and I found myself looking at a sword on the wall. I looked at the sword from everywhere, expecting to see something about it that I had not before.

"Why are you here?"

Though I knew that voice, I still jumped. I turned around.

Itachi looked like he only paid half attention as I said, "Oh, hi! I'm, um, my dad, he had to go somewhere, so I'm staying with your mom."

"Ayae's father has kindly asked me to watch over her, and I've agreed. Itachi dear, why are you home so early?" Aunt Mikoto stepped off the last stair.

"Father sent me to tell you to cancel dinner for today. Instead, he will be eating with the officers, in order to discuss their current case. However, Father also asked if you could prepare lunch, since we will be out training for a while and-"

"_Itachi_!" Aunt Mikoto's scream woke me up from his monotone.

"Is something wrong, Mother-"

"Your neck!" she gasped. Before Itachi could do anything, Aunt Mikoto pulled down his collar to show a really, really, _really _nasty bruise on his neck and shoulder. Aunt Mikoto, seeing my eyes widen, told me, "Ayae, go to the kitchen, okay?"

I did as I was told. I had a bruise once, from when I hit my knees on the street, and I knew that it hurts. He must be hurt him too. He was not crying though. In fact, he acted like there was nothing wrong. Weird.

I played with the rim of my cup, while they talked.

"TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED. NOW."

"We were only training and..."

"Only training? _Only training_? I sent my son out there to be under the good care of his father, not to be beaten to death. When Fugaku gets back, I will _murder_him-"

"Mother, please, I'm fine." Itachi softened his voice, quieter and more pleading.

"Come here. Where else does it hurt? Any other bruises? You know what, take off your shirt."

"Mother!"

I laughed when Itachi's voice broke into a whine.

Out of curiosity, I peeked back into the living room to find mother and son wrestling on the floor.

"You liar. What. Is. This?" Aunt Mikoto asked, showing his arm to him. I could not see what, so I took another step. But the floorboards creaked, and both turned to me.

"Ayae! I told you to wait in the kitchen. No matter. Dear, do me a favor and go into the kitchen? Below the sink, there is a drawer. Inside is a white box. Please get that for me?"

I nodded and dashed back into the kitchen. Like she said, in the drawer was a box. I pulled the box out and handed it to Aunt Mikoto, who was still pinning Itachi down on the floor.

"Thank you, dear," she told me with a smile. Then, turning to her son, she said, "Now, _YOU_. You will not be leaving today. No, you will sit here, while I bandage you up, then make you lunch."

"But Fa-"

"But nothing. Leave, and I will track both you _and_Fugaku down. _And trust me, you would rather anger him than me_."

I was amused and frightened at the same time. I made a note to never upset my aunt.

Sighing, Itachi listened. He stayed still as Aunt Mikoto rubbed on a cream, then bandaged him. I was fascinated, but Auntie told me to not look. I peeked from the corner of my eyes, though, seeing her wrap a cloth around his arm.

When Aunt Mikoto was done, she told him to stay and rest while she made food. She then asked me to watch him and call her if he leaves. I nodded. This was my chance to make a friend.

"Hey," I said.

He did not move. Unsure if he heard me, I crawled to him and plopped by his side. I gave a second "Hey."

He glanced at me. But then, he looked up front again. Confused, I followed his gaze and saw a wall. I leaned toward him and whispered, "You know, I don't think the wall is going to move."

When he said nothing, I began think he was shy. There were kids like those back at the capital.

"How'd you get that?" I asked, pointing to the bandages under his collar.

He looked uncomfortable, but then said, "Training."

"You fall?"

"No."

"I fell once and got a bad booboo. It hurts a lot, doesn't it?"

"The pain goes away."

I did not know what to say to that, so I talked about something else. "How old are you? I'm seven. Well, seven and a half."

"I turn eight this summer."

"Hey! Are you going to be my classmate then?"

"Pardon?"

"I'm going to school Monday! I don't want to go. It looks scary. Maybe we can go together!"

He was quiet. I waited, knowing there were slow kids that needed to think everything through before talking. Either that, or he forgot. I met kids like that too.

"No," he said.

"What- why? You don't have to go? How lucky!"

"No, I have graduated from the Academy already."

I blinked, confused.

"I'm done with school," he said.

"Oh," I said, disappointed.

I waited to see if there was anything he wanted to say, but he was quiet. Sighing, I pulled my legs closer and hugged them. I missed the capital, where I would be with mobs of friends, and we would chat until it was time to leave. Why was it so hard to talk to this kid?

"Hey," I said. "What's your favorite color? Mine's yellow. No wait! Green. Yeah, green is pretty. Well, so is pink. I like pink, too. Oh well, you don't have to tell me if you don't have one. I had a friend who could _never_ make up her mind about what colors she liked, so I know what that's like. Do you have a favorite animal then?"

"No."

"Favorite food?"

He looked at me strangely, and did not say anything.

I pushed. "Flower?"

There was silence. Instead, he looked at me hard, like I was a book. I did not like how he stared, so I turned away, craning my neck to see what was happening in the kitchen. Aunt Mikoto was chopping something green. I hoped that was not going into my lunch. I did not like green foods. I liked the color green. Just not green foods.

"Why don't you talk?" I asked him, pouting. "You are boring, you know that?"

"Why do you talk," he said.

"I'm asking questions! I wanna know more about you."

"No."

"Huh?"

"I doubt you care about such arbitrary information," he said.

I furrowed my eyebrows, not understanding his big words. Did he insult me? I felt like he did. Jeez, why could he not give a normal answer? Red, blue. Cats, dogs. Candy, chips. Roses, daisies. Not that hard. I thought of the capital again, when he got up.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"My turn to pose a question. Would you tell?"

"What?"

"If, say, I left now, would you tell her?" he asked me, nodding toward the kitchen.

"I don't get it. Why do you want to leave?" I felt insulted again. _He_was the boring one. I should be leaving, not him!

"You wouldn't understand. Neither does my mother. Now answer my question?"

I crossed my arms. "I'm not a tattletale."

"Good," he said and began walking toward the door.

"AUNTIE! ITACHI IS TRYING TO GO BACK TO HIS DADDY!" I yelled on the top of my lungs. Itachi whipped around, giving me one of the most frightening looks ever. I wanted to run out of the house.

Auntie was in the room, fire in her eyes. "Sit," she said, pointing to the floor.

Itachi did, only to be tackled by Sasuke a minute later, who woke up thanks to my scream.

Although Itachi was mad at me, I did not care. I whistled and went into the kitchen, helping Auntie make sandwiches for the four of us.

.

You know when someone annoys the bajeezes out of you, and you just want to give them a big, fat punch in the face?

Well, I had that someone, and his name was Uchiha Shisui. We walked for less than twenty minutes, and I was ready to throw Itachi at him.

"Do ya? Do ya?"

"For the last time, no! I do _not_know the square root of pie. I don't even like fruit pies, yet alone root ones."

The older boy laughed again, slapping his knee. "How about the three hundred sixty one chakra points in the human body? By name and location?"

I was annoyed. Shisui had been throwing me questions after questions, and laughing whenever I answered. And the more annoyed I tried to show him I was, the more he kept going.

"Shisui, I would stop," Itachi said.

"Okay, okay. I'll stop. Happy now, squirt? But seriously, who is to think there's an Uchiha, an actual living, breathing _Uchiha_, that is not a smart-ass. I like you already!" He patted me on the back.

I did not know whether I got insulted, so I huffed and walked faster. I would strangle Shisui if he called me "squirt" one more time. For my age, I was normal height, _thank you_.

"Hey, squirt!" There he went again.

"WHAT?" I asked, turning around to see they were on a different road.

"The beautiful building of education is _thatta_way!"

Groaning, I ran to catch up.

"Ah, here we go," Shisui said. "Good memories, this place. Now, ready to take off, squirt? Or you want us to guide you in too?"

I stomped my feet. "No! I can handle it myself!" I said.

"Good good! Ms. Uchiha Ayae, time to get off the Shisui-Itachi express! We'll pick you up at four in the evening, give or take. If we don't come by seven, it means we forgot ya, so don't bother waiting!"

My eyes widened. If they did not come, how would I get home?

Itachi's elbow dug in Shisui's rib. "We will be here at four o'clock. Don't make us wait," Itachi said. I was relieved, until he raised a challenging eyebrow at me. I regretted getting him in trouble yesterday.

"Hmph! I told you guys I can handle myself! See if I care!" With that, I trampled the dirt and headed for the building.

I forced myself to not look back.

"Good luck! Don't forget what eight times three is!" Shisui called out to me. And then, he told Itachi, "Let's go. Our teacher is already pissed at us for being late the other times."

"She disapproves of _your _constant tardiness..."

Their voices trailed off.

I reached the door of the school.

Yesterday, my dad had come back with good news: he had gotten a job. He thanked Auntie, and the two chatted for a long time, so long that it was dark by the time we left for home. I had not gotten much sleep that night, thinking what my first day would be like. This morning, my dad had been flipping eggs when then the door knocked, revealing the "Shisui-Itachi express" that Auntie had set up for me. My dad could not go, so we hugged, and I left with the boys.

Looking back, I saw they were gone. Loneliness hit me, and I wished that they had walked me inside. I shook my head. This was no time to be shy.

I pushed open the door and entered the halls. Bright lights hung above, wide floors below. I saw many people taller than me. Everyone was a stranger, but they were dressed normally and not in the weird stuff the ninjas wore. Having a little more confidence, I joined the crowd, looking for the door number of my classroom.

Suddenly, the bell rang. Everyone left for classrooms. Within minutes, the hallways were empty. I panicked.

"16," I read my note. The closest classroom had a sign that read 43. The next one was 42. Then 41, then 40.

I was in a sweat. By the time I found classroom 16, the class would be over. Nearby, I saw an older boy taking a drink at a water fountain. For some reason, he was not in any hurry to go to class. I tugged on his shirt.

"Hi, could you tell me where number 16 is?" I asked.

"Where do you think? Follow down this hall." He jerked a thumb behind him. Then he frowned and looked at me funnily.

"Oh, okay!" I said, about to follow the numbers, when he grabbed my shoulder.

"Wait. What is your name?" he asked.

"Ayae," I said.

"_Last _name?"

"Uchiha," I said.

His frown grew. "Thought so. Let me see that." I gave him my note.

Scoffing, he read it once, and then gave it back to me, turned upside down. "It's 91. Not 16. Lower floors are for us. Punks like you are on the third floor."

I reread my paper. He was right. Turned upside down, the number was 91, not16. I went red, feeling stupid. "Thanks."

He chuckled. "No problem. You should hurry up, or you'll be late. Tell me how it goes, okay, punk?"

He gave a pat on my shoulder and left. The people here were nice.

I ran back down the hallway. I saw a staircase earlier, near the entrance. Climbing the cursed thing was tiring. I was glad that I did not pack anything except my lunch, or else I would have to carry a heavy backpack too.

By the time I reached the third floor, I was breathless and late. Luckily, first room was 90. That meant 91 must be nearby.

But there was no room 91. Only 89, followed by 88. Confused, I peeked through the window of room 90, and saw a teacher. I slid open the door, hoping the teacher could tell me where room 91 was.

The teacher and the class looked at me. To my surprise, all the students looked older than me. The place was enormous, the desks grand and spaced out.

"Um, I'm lost," I said. "Can you tell me where this room is?"

The teacher stopped his lesson, putting a scroll back down on the podium. He took the note. "How old are you?" he asked.

"Seven." And a half, I added.

He frowned. "This says 16. You are attending the second grade, correct? First, second, and third grade are on the first floor. The third floor is for the upperclassmen."

I blinked. But the boy I met said the opposite.

"Oh. I didn't know. This is my first time here."

The teacher did not give me pity, only left a student in charge while he made sure I went to the right classroom.

When we reached the stairs, I took a step down before asking, "Is there an elevator?" There was not.

I was forced, once again, to climb through the stairs of torture. The teacher told me that, from now on, I should enter the doors at side of the building, where it was only a room away from my class. I nodded.

Classroom 16 looked friendlier. The room was smaller, and there were kids my size gathered round tables, all scribbling on papers.

"Pardon. This girl had faulty directions. I'll leave her in your care now," the upperclassman teacher said, closing the door behind him.

My teacher was an old geezer who was reading a newspaper.

"Eh?" Adjusting his glasses, he asked, "Girl, are you Uchiha Ayae?"

The second he said my name, the class stiffened. The students gave me glares, sending me a step back.

"Yes," I squeaked. "I'm Ayae."

"Come here," the old geezer waved me over. "You're late. From now on, you are to be here on time, understand?"

I nodded.

"Class, this is Uchiha Ayae. It's late in the year, but she just transferred from the Fire capital. Please give her your utmost respect and welcome her," the geezer wheezed.

"Welcome, Uchiha Ayae," the class said, their voices paper flat. Something told me they did not like me much.

The teacher handed me a piece of paper and asked me to sit. He did not say _where_, so I was left with the task of choosing. I thought about taking the closest table, but as I walked over, the glares became scarier. At another table, the kids closed in to block the free seat. Their whispers were not nice.

"Another one of you?"

"Here to make us look bad?"

"Why don't you just graduate already?"

"Go home!" someone hissed, throwing a crumbled paper ball at my head.

The ball bounced off my head and landed at my feet. I got more confused, then worried, then mad. I picked up the ball and threw it back at the boy who had thrown it. "You're mean!" The ball missed him, but I stomped off. I was not looking to pick a fight, and moved on to find another table.

At the table by the windows, there was a girl with brown hair. She sat next to more girls, who were whispering to each other, their eyes on me. The brown haired girl saw me watching her and gave a timid wave. I took that as my cue to walk over.

"Can I sit here?" I asked.

The girls exchanged looks. Then they all turned to the girl closest to the window, one in pigtails. When the pigtailed girl nodded, the others moved aside and gave me room to join them.

"Hello, Ayae. My name is Tamaki," said the pigtailed girl. "And this is Dai, Setsu, and Ayame."

"Hi."

"Hello."

"Hi, Ayae."

"Hey," I replied.

After an uncomfortable silence, the girls stopped staring at me and chatted about something I did not understand. The rest of the students looked away too. The teacher was reading his newspapers.

I looked at the worksheet the teacher handed me and saw it was math. I breathed. Math. Okay. I knew how to do this.

I poked the girl with the brown hair. "Ayame?" I hoped I got the name right. "Can I borrow a pencil?"

Ayame looked as if she did not understand what I asked. Then Dai, the one next to her, nudged her in the arm, and she snapped back. "Yeah, sure," Ayame said. "Here."

When she presented me a pencil case, I chose a green pencil with a big eraser on the top and thanked her. I tackled the worksheet.

2+2=

Four.

6+3=

Eleven... no nine.

1+9=

Ten. This was not bad at all.

4X3=

Twelve?

7X7=

I blinked. Okay, did not know that. From what I learned, seven times seven meant seven groups of seven. On the corner of my paper, I started making tick marks. When I was done, I counted the total marks. I lost track the first time I counted. I got fifty the second time, which I wrote down as my answer.

12X11=

Oh boy. I did more tick marks.

"What are you doing?" the girl named Setsu asked, peering over my shoulder.

Before I could say, the bell rang. The pigtailed girl grabbed my wrist, pulling me out of the room. "Come, Ayae! It's recess!" Everyone ran outside.

I breathed in the outside air. So far, I made it through the morning. I started liking school when I played with the other girls on the playground.

"Whee!" I screamed, kicking my feet up in the air, going back and forth on the playground swing.

"Ayae!" Dai called. "Want to play hop-scotch with us?"

"Mhm!" I jumped off the swing and joined the rest of the girls. Ayame was drawing boxes on the ground with a piece of chalk, and we were about to start when a pebble hit my head. The thrower was the same boy who threw the paper ball.

He reached for another pebble. I jumped out of the way when he threw it. "Hey! Stop that!"

Tamaki crossed her arms. "Go away! Stop being annoying and leave Ayae alone!"

The other girls back us up. Outnumbered, the boy scowled and left.

"Let's go. It's lunch time anyway," Tamaki said.

"Come with us, Ayae. My mum made me rice balls today. I'll share with you!"

I followed my new friends to the picnic tables. They chatted about television shows I never watched, and the newest hair clips.

"And they were like _so_pretty. I wanted to get one but my mum said no. I'll ask dad again. He'll buy me it. He will buy me anything I want," Dai finished.

"You mean these?" Tamaki showed us hair clips with a big flower and bow. "I bought them yesterday."

The other girls stared in awe. Dai and Setsu began to fight over who got to touch it first.

When the bell rang again, we went back to class. I went on to finish that blasted worksheet. I barely finished when we got another one, this time on vocabulary. We had to write each word out many times. It was not hard, because you just keep on writing the same strokes.

At the same time, I joined the girls in their talk. They were fascinated when I told them about the capital. No one except me had been there before.

By then, I figured out how the school went. Basically, the students could do anything. The teacher read newspapers, once or twice telling the class to quiet when it got too loud. But after the silence, someone would make a noise, like a cough, which turned into whispers and back to talking again.

Toward the end of the day, I had a crowd listening to my stories. I liked the attention, especially when they went "Wow" or "Ah."

Finally, the bell rang again. The teacher dismissed us, saying that unfinished papers were homework. I did not mind, since the only paper left for me was a coloring sheet, matching colors with numbers.

"Will you tell us what happens next tomorrow?"

"Yeah, will you? Will you?"

I nodded and the crowd left, everyone grabbing their stuff and sending me a last "Bye, Ayae!" or "See you tomorrow!"

I was going to leave too, but Tamaki stopped me.

"Hey, Ayae. I have to go to flute practice today," Tamaki said.

"You play the flute?" I said.

She grinned. "Yeah, so I will be out all day. Can you do me a _huge_favor?"

"Sure thing!"

She handed me her papers. "Can you do my homework for me?"

I paused.

"Come on. We are friends right? It'll be easy for you! And all you have to do is just copy the answers!"

I thought it over, and shrugged, taking them.

"Oh, here's Dai's and Setsu's. They are busy too, so I told them you can do it for us. Because you are so smart."

"You think I'm smart?" I asked, filled with glee.

"Of course! You don't mind, do you? It'll be good for you! Since you missed so many days of school and all, extra practice can't hurt."

"I don't mind," I told Tamaki, and placed the papers with my own in my backpack.

Tamaki's smile grew bigger. "Thank you, Ayae!" And she left too, waving. "I knew you'd be a great friend!"

I waved back, and walked outside, humming. School was not bad, and I liked my new friends.

Outside, the Shisui-Itachi express waited for me.

"How was your first day of school, squirt?" Shisui asked, ruffling my hair.

"It was great! I had fun and I met nice people. And an annoying boy who kept throwing stuff at me, but he stopped when we started throwing stuff back. And the teacher was okay. He did not teach much though. It was all paper after paper after paper, but I like him better than that other teacher. And also, I-"

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down, squirt. You can tell us while we walk. Wanna know how _my_day was?"

"No."

"Are ya _sure_?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'll tell you anyway. So today, at the squad, our teacher made us do all these ridiculous laps-"

"AND, I was lost at first but-"

"Then we had to help this old farmer guy with his plowing-"

"Turned out it wasn't 91 after all but 16. So I was right to begin-"

"I think my ear was swollen after that. Doesn't she know that pulling someone's ear _hurts_? There's nerves and-"

"And Tamaki was like 'No way,' and I was like 'Yes way,' so another kid joined in with Tamaki and said 'No way' and-"

"Followed by one on one sparring. I beat them all, no problems-"

"Worried because I didn't want to lose Ayame's pencil. We found it though under the table, and I don't think she was mad-"

"Stuck in a tree. Stuck in a damn tree! That was like the twentieth time we had to get tha-"

"Her mum made the BEST rolls I've ever had. Well, not as good as my mom's. Maybe close to it-"

We did that the whole time, telling our own stories, not paying attention to the other one. I still wanted to punch Shisui in the face, but Itachi did that for me when Shisui said one of the clients thought Itachi was a girl.

.

After three weeks, I liked Konoha. School was fun. A few times, I had trouble with some worksheets, but I could always ask my dad or Auntie for help.

Tamaki and I became best friends. I still did everyone's papers, because it gave me more reasons to color.

Saturdays, I went with my dad to meet the storekeepers. We would talk about his new job or my new school. Last week, he bought me one of those bracelets I wanted. But as it turned out, a newer charm necklace stole the spotlight. I still tried to get the things my friends got, but I was always too late. In the end, I decided to give my bracelet to Utako as a necklace.

Finally, every Sunday I stayed with Aunt Mikoto and Sasuke. Itachi was rarely there, but I never saw his dad again.

The day Itachi did stay home, he was sharpening a kunai. I sat nearby, sharpening my red colored pencil. I had wood shavings, he had metal shavings. Close enough. We were pretty much doing the same thing.

I was getting frustrated though. For some reason, the tip kept breaking off. When the tip snapped for the fourth time, I gave up. "Auntie, do you have a red color pencil?" I asked. Aunt Mikoto was in the kitchen, making dinner.

"Ask Itachi!" she said.

"Can I borrow a red colored pencil?" I asked Itachi.

I was not too surprised when he did not look up from his kunai. I already knew he was weird. Though he had walked me to school for three weeks, he rarely talked.

"Why?"

And when he did talk, he said really stupid or confusing things.

"Because mine broke."

"Why."

"Because the pencil is bad."

"Why."

"Because it doesn't like me and stops me from finishing this homework."

"Why."

"Because there's a lot of homework."

"Why."

"Because I have to do this thing three times."

At this, he raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"Because Tamaki and the others are too busy! Now do you have a damn pencil or not?" I said, then covered my mouth and glanced over to the kitchen. "Oopsie." Luckily, Auntie did not hear me curse. That would be bad.

Itachi looked at me, then went back to scraping metal.

After a pause, he said, "No."

"But- Then why didn't you say so before- You should have just- _GAHHH_! Forget it! You annoy me!"

"I said one word," he said. "You should not be tempered so easily."

Was he insulting me again? I wanted to take the color pencil and throw it at him, but that would be wrong. I threw it at him anyway, and missed.

"Poor aim."

"Can you _please_shut up!"

"Limited vocabulary," he noted.

I was mad. _What_was his problem? I wanted to tackle him, and I did. Until he stopped me by grabbing my arm. "Oww. Stop. Stop that! It doesn't bend that way... at least, I don't think it does."

"And you do not know how to pick a fight. Give up being a ninja. There's no hope for you."

I blinked. He released my arm, and I rubbed it. "What are you talking about? I don't want to be no ninja."

"You... don't?" It was his turn to be confused.

"Why would I? It's stupid. I'd have to train, which will hurt a lot. People will punch me, and why would I want that? You don't even have any fun. Besides, playing ninja is for boys, and you get all dirty and stuff." I grimaced and stuck out my tongue.

I thought his lips twitched. He was smirking. "You were never expected to be one," he said. "Your father..."

I flailed my hand. "My dad! You kidding! He wants me to be like him. An in-_ven_-tor. He makes cool things, like a light bulb that turns on whenever you open the fridge, so you can see where all the stuff is. But to tell the truth, I don't want to be that either."

"Oh?" he pushed.

"Nah, I want to be a ballerina! You get to wear pretty clothes, and all you do is dance all day. Let me show you!" I stood up and began doing the steps that I was taught back at the capital. "See, this one is a swan!" And I jumped and concluded with a bow.

He did not look interested, but at least he paid attention.

"Clap at least," I said, my hands at my waist.

He did. "Your art form is rather rough."

I huffed. "I'm only seven! I'll get better!"

"So will I."

"You're not so great or better than me."

He did not retort. Instead, he took a rag to wipe the kunai.

"See? All you do is mope all day. I bet you don't even like being a ninja."

"I do not."

I pouted. He never made sense. Sighing, I sat back down, finished with my dance, and began the math homework. "Then why you do it?" I asked, writing down a 14.

"Strength," he said, "agility, power."

"That's lame."

He shrugged.

"No, like _really _lame. Who'd want to waste all their time-" Before I could finish, he threw the kunai at me. It was so fast, I heard the wind as it passed my ear, then hit a crack in the wall behind me. My heart skipped two beats, and I froze in place.

"Say that again?"

I stopped.

Then, "Lame. And a _huge_waste of time. You know why? Power makes people bullies, and no one likes bullies. They start thinking they're better than everyone else, when they're not. Take my dad. Sure, he's not fighting bad guys. But without him, you wouldn't you able to tell the tomatoes from the ham and end up dipping your hand in last night's leftover broccoli soup when _all_you want is a nice late night snack."

He did not say anything to that, just stared. I had been here far too long to fall for that. "You don't scare me, you know," I said, grinning. "In fact, I know your weakness, ninja boy."

For a second, his eyes widened, and then narrowed. "You lie."

"Would I lie? I _know_I got more power over you."

"You are bluffing." He pretended to not buy into my act, but he was studying me, cautious.

"Nope." I smiled.

And then he knew. He acted too late.

"AUNTIE! ITACHI IS BEING MEAN-!" He muffled my mouth.

Aunt Mikoto marched into the room to find him on top of me, trying to shut me up. We rolled around for a few seconds, before I bit into his arm. He retracted, as if I became a piranha.

"What did you do?" Aunt Mikoto asked Itachi.

I pointed to the wall; all the evidence I needed was there. "He said mean things to me. And then, when I told him to stop, he threw that thing at me! I got so scared. Please help me," I sobbed, hugging onto her waist.

Aunt Mikoto saw the kunai in the wall, and her lips thinned.

"Itachi, you have some nerve bullying a little girl. You are grounded. No training tonight. Apologize."

"She-"

"NOW!"

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, not wanting to temper his mother.

"Not to me, to her," Aunt Mikoto said.

Glaring, he turned to me and said, "I'm sorry, Ayae."

"He doesn't mean it! Did you see how he glared at me? Make him stop, it's scaring me," I whined to Aunt Mikoto, just to annoy him more.

"Itachi? Mean it," Aunt Mikoto demanded, holding me in her arms.

"What does she want me to do? Get on my knees?" Oh yeah, I got him mad.

I smirked. "Yeah, do that."

"Why you little-" He gritted.

"Don't even start. I'm your height, so you have no right of calling me little!"

He snapped, ready to charge at me.

"ENOUGH!"

We both froze.

"You! Apologize! And you too! If you children will not stop fighting, then I'll send you both to the corners of the room until you learn to get along."

"But I have homework!"

"1..." Auntie counted.

"I must prepare for my mission."

"2..."

I exchanged a look with Itachi. He frowned. I pouted.

"3..."

I was not going to apologize until he did.

"4..."

I guess he was waiting for me to do something first.

"5. You, corner. You, corner." Aunt Mikoto marched back out of the room, shooting us an "I'm watching you" look first.

I dragged myself to my corner and plopped there, leaning against the couch. He sat by the plant. I frowned when he was not mad at me anymore. I expected him to be; it was more fun like that.

Instead, he breathed once and was calm again. Then, he started to _meditate_. I tried to remain silent too, but found myself restless.

"You know, you could have just apologized," I said.

"The fault was not mine," he said, eyes closed.

"Well, if you just did it anyways, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"We would not be, if you never opened your mouth."

"Hmph!" I crossed my arms. "I wouldn't have if you just lent me a color pencil."

"I told you I did not have one."

"Could have told me that earlier!"

"It is not my responsibility to take care of your school supplies."

I would snap back, if I knew what he was saying. "Well, you're mean."

"And you are becoming quite annoying."

"I am _not_annoying!"

He opened his eyes, and I got an "_are you serious"_look.

"I am not!" I said. "What have I done that is annoying?"

I should not have asked that, because his calm, _I-don't-care_mask fell apart.

"Oh? Let us review, shall we? You talk nonstop. You ask me ten times a day redundant materials. You make me miss training, not once, but twice. You upset my mother and enraged my father, who I am not eager to meet today. Finally, you mock me, saying that seven years of my life have been wasted, and I have nothing to look forward to for the rest of my life except hate and contempt. As if I did not know that."

I was taken aback. "I never said that last one."

"It was implied."

I winced. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to make a new friend. I didn't mean to hurt you..." My voice cracked, and my eyes stung. It was the first time anyone talked like that to me, and he made it look as if it was all my fault.

Auntie walked back in, wiping her hands on her apron. "Kids, you ready to- Oh Ayae! Why are you crying, dear?"

"Nothing," I hiccupped, wiping my face.

"What did you say to her, Itachi? I can't believe you made her cry," she said.

"No, Auntie, I'm sorry. Please don't get mad at him."

"Come here, dear. Let me clean you up." She took me upstairs to the bathroom and washed my face.

When I came back, I went back to my homework. He went back to cleaning his supplies. We did not look at each other anymore that day.

I thought that was it. It was just who he was, and if he did not like me, then he did not like me.

But then, next morning, on our usual route to school, he gave me something. A new red color pencil.

"If you enjoy talking to me," he said, "I cannot stop you."

I stared at the pencil, then at him. He was serious, and I found myself nodding, a smile on my face. He was nice after all.

Then, the mood was totally broken when _somebody _placed a hand on each of our heads, messing up our hair. "Aw, that's _so cute_. And red? What a nice touch. You guys are just plain _adorable _you know that? Aw, just aw..."

"SHISUI! GO AWAY!" we yelled, and gave him a double punch.


	3. Ballet Arc: A Dance for You

"What is this?" Tamaki demanded.

I was tired that morning. I hoped Tamaki would move to the right, so I could catch a view of outside. But she blocked the window, forcing me to focus on her.

"Last night's homework?" I replied, yawning.

She rolled her eyes. "Of course, it's last night's homework. But look at the _grade._" She shoved the paper close to my face.

"B minus?"

"YES!" she exclaimed. "_Why_is it not an A?"

I thought B minus was okay. I mostly got A's and B's, a few C's, but never F. But whenever I got a grade lower than A on the homework, Tamaki gave me a weird look.

"I'll do better on the next one." I shooed her away, doodling on the edge of my worksheet.

"You say that, but it's almost never an A. My mom will not be happy if I get another C," Setsu complained. Dai nodded. Ayame exchanged looks between everyone, confused.

I gave Tamaki a tired look. "If you guys don't like the grade, then you do it. I have ballet lessons starting today, so I don't know if I have time anymore."

Tamaki frowned again. "And you call yourself an Uchiha," she huffed.

"So _what_," I grumbled."

"So," Dai said, "you should have no problems with this. You can handle it."

"Yeah, I have no problems. But the stuff is getting hard. Last night, I stayed up an extra hour to finish it."

"Tch, you're lying."

"Huh?" How was I lying?

Dai folded her arms. "Stop pretending."

"Um, I don't think she knows..." Ayame whispered.

"What? What don't I know?" I asked.

"Are you kidding? Okay, let me tell you. _Every_Uchiha that has passed through this school is a genius. Well, maybe except one or two weirdoes. But most of them are," Dai said.

"Yeah, like that Shisui person. He was an upperclassmen that was said to be stronger than _chuunin_, and he didn't even graduate yet!"

"Or Uchiha Itachi. Remember, Ayame? He was in our class for only a month last year before he moved up to the next grade. I heard he completed school before spring."

A nod. "Yes, I remember. He always sat in a corner and finished the work in class. Then he'd read a book, never talking to anyone except to answer the teacher."

"How do you know that?" I asked. Ayame looked away and blushed, shaking her head.

Tamaki scoffed. "I hate him. He was making the rest of us look bad. Thinking he's better. Well, no one likes him, and it serves him right."

I frowned. Itachi annoyed me sometimes, but he was a nice friend. He even helped me with the homework, when my dad or Aunt Mikoto was too busy. And Shisui? Come on. They were pulling my leg. The guy was an idiot.

"Well, Itachi is cute though," Dai said, breaking my train of thought.

Setsu giggled. "Yeah, he is. Ayame always went red around him."

"GIRLS," Tamaki yelled, smacking them in the head.

"Psh, Tamaki, we know you liked him too," Dai teased, "You only hated him when he rejected your lunch offer."

"Yeah, don't deny it, Tamaki. You were _so _in love with him."

Tamaki flushed. "Was not! He looked lonely, so I asked him if he wanted to eat with me."

"Which he rejected," Dai pointed out. "So you hated him from then on and came to us."

"Did not."

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"I did not like him!" Tamaki yelled.

"'Oh, he's so _cute_, and smart. He always gets perfect grades and _cute_. Not to mention that his family is so famous and rich. I'd wish he would come over here and ask me to marry him. Then I'll be Mrs. Tamaki Uchiha.'" Dai imitated in a high voice similar to Tamaki's. "Who said that last year?"

"I-I was joking! Why would I like a jerk like him?" Tamaki stuttered, going into a deep shade of crimson.

"His eyes."

"His hair."

"His money."

"..."

"..."

"... What. Have you _seen_that district? My mum talks about that place _all the time_. It's like the place for the privileged," Setsu said.

Ayame sighed. "And his voice..."

"And he's the top of the class- no- _school_."

"And money!"

All the girls giggled, lost in their own fantasies. I was still in disbelief, when Ayame asked, "What about you, Ayae? Do _you_like him?" The other three turned to me too, curious for an answer.

"W-what?"

Dai clicked her tongue. "Come on, you know who he is. We see you with him every morning. He drops you off."

Tamaki's eyes glassed over. "He... does?" she asked cautiously.

I felt uncomfortable. "Um, well, yeah..."

"What's he like?"

"What does he say?"

"How's he doing?"

They leaned forward and bombarded me with more question, while I shrunk in my seat. "Um, well, he doesn't say much..."

They retreated back. "Figures," they muttered in unison.

"So, do you like... _like _him, Ayae?" Tamaki asked me.

"I guess so," I said. "He's my friend."

"Tch. Doubt he thinks that. And we're talking about _like_-like. Do you _like_-like him?"

I gulped. Frankly, I did not know the difference. Was _like_-like double the regular amount of like? Gah, why was there a math problem here?

"I don't think so? He's just a friend."

I hesitated, hoping that I gave them the right answer. Should I change it? I wanted to change it, since all my friends said they _like_-liked him. But then again, they hated him too. Would that cancel out part of the like?

I was too confused.

"Really?" Dai asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No...?"

Tamaki smiled and put a hand on her hips. "Good, Ayae. You are too good for him. That jerk."

I sensed some falseness in her voice. "He's not a jerk, Tamaki. He's just shy and doesn't talk much. I don't know-!" Before I could finish, something hit my head.

I whipped around to see that annoying boy who _kept on throwing things at me._He was getting on some of my _last_nerves.

"Stop that!" I said.

He tossed another paper ball up and down in his hand.

"Cut that out!"

"Back off, Ginjiro!" Dai told him.

But he did not. "Leave, you Uchiha scum."

What was it with people here and the Uchiha? They either were in _love_with them and worshiped at their feet, or _loathed_them with a passion. Or, they could be like my friends and be _both_.

"Listen," I said, gritting through my teeth. "I don't know _what_your problem is, BUT _STOP _THROWING _SHIT _AT ME! I've about had enough of your _CRAP!_How would you like it if you were thrown with objects every day? _HUH_?"

"Ahem."

"WHATtt... oh." Great. Of all times, the teacher had to be paying attention.

"What did you say, young lady?" the geezer wheezed. He was old, but nonetheless frightening.

I winced. Busted. I turned to see my friends, all burying themselves behind the worksheets. They did not want to get in trouble.

"I believe a day's detention is in order here."

My mouth dropped. Detention? But I did not even do anything wrong! "But he was throwing things at me!" I pointed to Ginjiro.

"Then he will serve in detention with you."

"That's not fair!" I stomped my foot. Now, not only was I unjustly sent to detention, but I was stuck in detention with _him_? Did the teacher _want_me to have a swollen head?

"Two days."

"What! But-"

"One week. If you enjoy raising your days to two weeks, just say another word."

I shut my mouth. Arguing was going to make things worse, so I just gave the boy a seething look. He grinned.

"How about one month?" he suggested, and my jaw fell to the floor. ONE MONTH? School would be _over_by then.

The teacher was not amused. "Two weeks. See you both here after school."

The geezer then walked back to his desk, looking inattentive as ever. Wary, I went back to my seat, not wanting any more attention.

"I can't believe you cursed," Ayame whispered.

"Harsh," Setsu said, sympathetically.

Dai rolled her eyes. "That boy is annoying. Sorry, Ayae."

"Well, at least we know she's one of those weirdoes," Ayame concluded, giggling.

"Huh?"

Ayame spoke up for once. "You got detention, right? How many Uchiha you know got detention? I bet your family will be mad."

"I hope not," I sighed, burying into my arms. This was not my fault. Surely my dad would see that, maybe even tell the teacher.

Tamaki sheepishly slid her homework back to her. "Say, Ayae, you don't have to do my homework anymore. Seeing as you got detention, you probably won't have time," she excused.

The rest followed her example.

"Yeah, I can squeeze it in between my oboe practices," Setsu admitted. "And, to tell the truth, I think I can get higher than a B minus. Have I told you that my parents would be really mad if I got anywhere near a C?"

I was glad my friends were not too upset at me anymore. Tamaki still glanced at me a few times, but past that, she acted the same as ever.

At the end of school, I was about to leave, until I remembered the dreaded word again.

Detention.

I groaned just thinking about it. I was a _good_girl. I did _not _deserve detention. The boy across the room gave me a mocking wave.

"Next time, I'll get you _expelled_." He smirked, then whistling, grabbed a random seat. He leaned back and placed his cap over his face, as if to go to sleep.

I could not believe it. That brat was threatening me. I wanted to go there and stomp on his foot. Unfortunately, the teacher said, "Sit down, Ms. Uchiha."

I did. I took Tamaki's seat by the window and moaned. Outside were my cousins, waiting for me.

Shisui was peering left and right, looking for me. I glanced over to my teacher. He was reading. Taking the risk, I furiously waved at the window to get my cousins' attention.

Itachi pointed to my window. The next minute, Shisui was looking in my direction as well.

He shouted something, which _I could not hear_. The idiot. After a whole three minutes, he realized that and said something else, this time using hand gestures.

First of all, he looked like a clown. Second of all, I _still _could not tell what he was saying.

Itachi then decided to walk into the building and find out why I was not coming down. But that would be bad. The teacher would see, and I would get into more trouble. I started shaking my head. NO NONONONONO STOP, I mouthed.

He stopped, below where I was.

Glad that the teacher and the pesky boy were both oblivious, I tore the corner of one of my papers and wrote in pencil, 'You idoits! I'm in detension. You are gunna get me in truble. Please WAIT for me.'

I crumbled the paper up and threw it down the narrow crack of opened window. Itachi caught it and scanned it once, before staring at me, again.

When Itachi showed Shisui, Shisui started laughing, _again_, and took out a pen from his backpack. He was about to write something on the back of my note, when Itachi snatched both the pen and note away.

Itachi wrote something down. Shisui peered over his shoulder, then shouted something and tried to take the paper away from him. But it was too late. Itachi already refolded the note and flicked it. The note landed on my desk.

'You have two minutes to come down, or we'll leave.'

My first reaction was awe for his pretty handwriting. My second reaction was horror.

Then, a second pea sized paper ball shot out of the window. This one was from Shisui.

'Jeez, ignore that last one. He's kidding. Of _course_, we'll wait for you. You have _three _minutes.' At the end was a smiley face sticking a tongue out, and a hand doing the peace sign.

My eye twitched. I will murder them both, I thought, emitting a dark aura. I narrowed my eyes at them, and both backed away.

'COME BAK HEAR YOU CORWARDS!' I aimed my note at their faces. I missed. Damn.

'Your calligraphy is atrocious. One minute.'

I banged my head on the desk and gave up. Maybe I could just jump out the window. I doubted the teacher would even know.

'I CANT!'

"What are you doing?" the teacher behind me asked. I leaped from my seat. "Stop making funny faces in the window and sit by the door."

The brat smirked at me. Muttering a curse, I did as I was told and slumped in my new seat. All I could do was stare at the clock and wait for the stupid detention to end.

Then I remembered something.

"SHIT! MY BALLET CLASS IS TODAY!" I shouted, jumping up from my seat. Then I clapped my hands over my mouth.

This was going to be a long day.

.

The clock was frozen. I swear that clock did not move at all.

My impatience turned into a _tap tap tap_of my eraser. All my frustration was toward the brat, who just had a stupid grin on his face. Every once in a while, he would flick something toward me. Mostly bits of paper. I ignored them, and picked the entangled pieces out of my hair.

I was more worried about ballet than him. The lessons started at 4:30. It was already 4:20, and I was nowhere near the dance hall. When the detention was over, I dashed out of the room. I had less than five minutes to get to the dance. But there was no one outside, except one or two passing pedestrians, minding their own business.

I gritted my teeth. "Those two are so dead!"

Sighing, I hung my head and began walking down the road.

"You know, squirt, at that pace, we would have mistaken you for a snail."

I jerked around to find Shisui lying down on the grass, watching the clouds float by.

"Avoid making us wait for you again, Ayae. We would not be so lenient in the future," Itachi said, appearing by my side.

"Sorry!"

I followed them for about a minute, before I remembered.

"Let's _go_!" Shisui urged. "I'm already an hour late, man! My mom is going to chase me down and stab me with a butcher knife-"

"My ballet lesson!" I exclaimed. "I have it today! It's already starting, and I can't miss the sign up! I just can't!" I searched my backpack and showed them a crumpled pink slip. It had the address of the dance hall.

"You are joking," Shisui moaned, slapping his face. "You get detention on the same day you have your dance thingy? If you haven't noticed, I have a mom at home who will skin me alive if I skip out on her oh-so-wonderful dinner made of god-knows-what meat."

"We are already late," Itachi sighed. "It's not going to make any difference at this point, so we might as well take her to the dance hall."

"Really? Thanks, guys! I owe you one- wait!"

"What _now_?" Shisui said, exasperated.

"I kinda left my new shoes at home..."

Pounding his fist into his skull, Shisui said, "Okay, okay. Fine. No sweat. Itachi, go to her house and get the princess her shoes. Come on, squirt, I'll carry you to the place."

"Carry me? The place is a kilometer away!"

Shisui rolled his eyes. "Hello? Who do you think you are with here? Ninjas, squirt, ninjas. Piggyback. Now."

I jumped on his back. He sank, his legs wobbling.

"DANG, squirt. You're heavy!"

I pouted. "Shut up, ninja boy. Go!"

And then, he did something I was not expecting. He jumped. _About ten meters in the air_and landed on a rooftop.

And thus, my voice reached impossible heights.

"PUT ME DOWN, PUT ME DOWN, PUT ME DOWN NOW! I'M GUNNA DIE I'M GUNNA DIE I'M GUNNA DIE!"

"Oh my LORD," Shisui yelled, clapping his hands over his ears. He dropped me off on the rooftop. "Calm down!"

I screamed. When he covered my mouth, I gave a muffled cry into his palm. My legs were quivering, and without warning, I dropped down. I clutched the roof tiles as hard as I could. When the wind blew, I screamed again.

"How can such a loud noise come out of your body? Calm down, squirt! It's _fine_."

I looked down at the dizzying height and shook my head. Tears started coming out, and Shisui became baffled, unsure of what to do.

"Hey, now don't _cry _for heaven's sake. Listen, I'll set you back down if you would just stand up and let me-"

I shook my head again. No! I did not want to experience that again. I want to go down. Just not the same way I came up!

Then, I became quiet. Two arms from behind wrapped around me, and I relaxed. It felt like I was shielded now, like a safety net stopped me.

"You are hurting my ears," Itachi whispered.

The three of us were quiet for a while until Shisui muttered, "Great, she listens to _you_. Whatever. At least she stopped liquefying my brain cells to _mush_."

"Y-you. You should have _told_me you were going to do that _before_you decided to go FLYING on me," I shakily argued.

"How was I to know that you would react like that? Most people don't burn their lungs off when I carry them."

"Enough," Itachi said. "Shisui, get the shoes. I'll take care of this. Go."

"Are you sure-"

"Go!"

"Jeez, when did you become the boss," Shisui said. He jumped to the next roof, then the next and disappeared from sight.

"Get me down," I whined to Itachi when we were alone. One of my hands was still clutching to a rooftop tile, the other now gripping onto his wrist.

"Let go," he said.

I only tightened my grip. "No, get me down!"

"I assure you, I will, if you would let go."

I was reluctant to do so, holding on to him as if he was my lifeline.

He gave a defeated sigh. "Suit yourself."

Itachi skillfully moved himself from behind me before lifting me up bridal style. The moment he did so, my hand was forced to let go of the tile. As compensation, I squeezed his wrist harder.

"Close your eyes."

"What?"

"Just do it," he said, in a softer voice.

I blinked, and then did as told.

"Hold on ti- Don't," he corrected himself.

I felt wind brushing past my face, my hair fluttering. But it was not as scary as the first time. The ride was almost enjoyable, if I kept my eyes shut.

A few seconds later, I heard him again.

"You can open your eyes now."

Right eye first, then left. We were on the ground, the dance hall in front of us. Relieved, I stepped down. My legs wobbled, and I swayed until I found my center of gravity again.

Calm, I walked toward the building until I felt a tug. I looked down to see my hand still glued on to him.

"If you do not mind, I would like to have my hand back."

I let go, peeling my hand off. When I saw the red marks on his wrist, I winced. "Sorry!"

He let his arm drop back down to his side. I went for the door again, but he stood at the road.

"Um, can you come with me inside? I'm kinda nervous."

I was happy when he did. The dance hall a grand room, with waxed floors and walls of mirrors. The place was so warm; I thought of the capital.

Sitting on the floor was a group of girls. They gathered to listen to the teacher, a woman with hair pulled into a bun and strange, pale eyes.

"Are you Ayae?" the teacher asked me.

I nodded, and joined their circle.

"Kind of you to join us. We were just introducing ourselves. I am Ms. Hyuuga," she said. When everyone finished introductions, Ms. Hyuuga said, "Today, I want each of you to dance, so I may assess your ability. Do not worry if this is your first time. I will not reject anyone, as long as she is willing to learn. Now everyone, go and change."

I followed the other girls into a changing room. Most began to undress and help each other fit into a loose shirt and leggings. A few of the older girls helped lace ballet shoes for the younger ones. I grabbed my own clothes from my backpack.

I caught my reflection in one of the many mirrors. A white shirt with orange petals and matching dark-orange tights. My mom had picked this outfit for me years ago; she thought it was the most gorgeous thing ever. However, it was big on me at the time. Now, it fitted perfectly, though the colors faded.

When the mirror became overcrowded by other faces though, I stepped aside.

I touched the fabric of my shirt, and then inhaled. Strawberries, oranges, with a touch of fuchsia. Mom. Clapping my hands together, I did a quick prayer.

Everyone soon finished changing, running through the last fold in their clothes or stretching a rubber band to tie their hair. But I still was not ready. My foot was bare. Where was Shisui?

Fortunately, when I walked back into the studio, Shisui was leaning against a wall, swirling my shoes. "Oh Cinderella, I have your slippers. Shall we try them on?"

I plopped on the wooden benches next to Itachi, slipping them on. The new ballet shoes fitted snugly. The lacing I had a little trouble with, so Shisui did them. "Ah, perfect fit, princess," he said. "Glad to see you're not screaming too."

I stuck out my tongue. "No thanks to you!"

He just shooed me with his hand. "Yeah, yeah, you go and dance now. Let's go, Itachi. My mom's still waiting with her butcher knife and skillet pan."

I stopped in my tracks. "Wait, you guys aren't staying?"

Shisui blinked. "Well, no. Isn't someone coming to pick you up?"

"My dad... but-"

"See ya then!" Shisui waved. A sharp blow met his stomach.

"We are staying," Itachi said, removing his elbow.

"Why?" Shisui complained, clutching his stomach. "You heard her, her pop's picking her up."

"She wants us to stay," Itachi said flatly. While I was glad Itachi said that, I did not like his tone. He made it sound like I was not capable of handling myself. I _can_. Company just never hurt.

Shisui sighed. "Fine, fine. We'll stay, whether you - or I - like it or not. I mean, what _else _can I do after an _entire _day's worth of exhausting missions? Psh, who needs sleep nowadays." Before I could argue, Shisui pushed me toward the dance group. "Go. Don't mind us idiots sitting here."

I joined the other girls. Ms. Hyuuga asked us to dance, one by one. I was second to last on the list, so I saw how I compared to the others before it was my turn.

The first girl was impressive. She was three years my senior and her dancing intimidated me. The second was my level. Her performance was dull compared to the first. The third was a younger child, about six, and hers was rough. The fourth did not know what to do at all. It was her first time, so she gave an embarrassing display.

The performances went on. Watching, I felt confident. I was as good, if not better, than most of the girls my age. The older ones were better than me, of course, but I could catch up.

"Uchiha Ayae, you are up."

The previous girl sat down. Meanwhile, I got up and moved to the center.

"Whenever you are ready," said Ms. Hyuuga.

Taking a deep breath, I expanded my arms and began. I mentally played the music that I usually danced to and found my rhythm. Step. Step. Twirl, spin, step. When I finished, the teacher smiled. "Have you done ballet before, Ayae?"

I entangled my fingers together behind my back. "A little."

"Your dance needs refinement, but I see potential. Well done."

I beamed and sat down, satisfied.

"Finally, Ms. Yuuhi. Class, Ms. Yuuhi is in her final year, so I would like you all to pay close attention and learn something from her," Ms. Hyuuga said.

A girl, so much older than the rest of us, stood up. She looked no less than seventeen, with wild hair pulled into a messy bun and beautiful red eyes.

Her performance was flawless. I could only stare in awe as her limbs became delicate, yet strong. And when she glided across the room, her movements were agile and flowing.

I was not the only one captivated. All the students were. Shisui had a goofy grin. Itachi was observing with an intensity I never saw before. His eyes followed every movement, each sway of her arms, twirl of her legs. I was jealous. Itachi did not give me that kind of attention when I danced for him back in the living room.

Grant, the Yuuhi girl was truly talented: pretty, precise, powerful. When she finished, she got the loudest applause. She gave a smile, and bowed back.

"Wonderful," said Ms. Hyuuga. "We conclude today. I look forward to seeing each of you again."

The girls broke into chatter and rushed into the changing room. I went to my cousins.

"Hey, squirt, you think I can watch every one of your little dance lessons from now on?" Shisui said, patting me on the back. I beamed, until he added, "That Yuuhi chick will still be here, right? Because she is HOT- I mean good. She's good."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't know. She's good, but I don't think she likes spicy foods. When did they say that?"

"Ayae," Itachi said, beckoning me over.

"Okay, before you say anything," I began, "I know I'm not good right now but-"

"Ayae," Itachi said. "Come here."

I moved closer. If he criticized me, at least I was close enough to punch him in the face. To my surprise, he showed me two orange ribbons in his hand, something I had not saw before. He appeared behind me and brushed my hair with his fingers. Weaving the ribbon, he slowly braided my hair.

"Your hair was in the way. I noticed all the other girls had theirs tied. You should do the same as well. Then the audience can focus more on your movements," he said. When he was done, there were two braids at my side, tied with the orange ribbon. I was speechless.

"I knew that!" I said when I recovered. "Where did you get these again?"

"Rule 121. A ninja should always be able to retrieve any resources at any moment in time."

"Oh." I pretended I understood.

"Yes, great," Shisui said. "Straight from the codebook. Wonderful you can recite that. Now, if you two are done, can we please go home? I am going to get my spleen sliced!"

For once, Itachi agreed, much to my disappointment. "Yes, we have overstayed our limit. Ayae, your father will arrive in a few minutes. We will leave now."

"See you later, squirt!" Then Shisui added, "And if you ever by any chance know if Miss Yuuhi has any plans for this weekend, let me know!"

With that, they vanished.

I touched my hair again. Only mom had ever braided it for me before. I would do it myself, only it would always end in a mess. That Itachi had done it for me was really nice.

I was ready to leave for the changing room, but stopped cold in my tracks. In one of the mirrors was a reflection of the outside. Standing in the Konoha streets was Tamaki. She stared at me, expressionless.

Her eyes made my heart leap. I had never seen her so cold before. But when I turned around, she was waving to me, smiling with sparkling eyes.

"Hi!" she called, wondering if I could hear her from the window. She turned to her mother, pulling on her sleeve. "Mom! Mom! This is the friend I was telling you about. Ayae!"

Tamaki's mother had a neutral expression, but her cherry lips were pressed into a fine line. She was a beautiful, with accented eyelashes. A pearl earring adorned on each of her ears, big enough to be appreciated, but small enough to be humble. Nested under her arm was a leather purse, adding to her overall sophisticated appeal. I thought she looked like a celebrity.

I never thought Tamaki would have a mom like that.

Tamaki entered the studio. She absorbed her surroundings, and then rushed toward me in a hug. Her mother followed behind, the clicks of her heel echoing in the big room.

"Ayae!" Tamaki squealed, clapping together her hands. "What are the chances I see you here! How was detention? Was it bad? Tell me all about it. You look so pretty right now! I love your hair!" I was taken aback. I swore a second earlier, her eyes showed signs of a demon possessed, looking as if she wanted to claw out my throat.

Tamaki introduced me to her mom. Her mother gave a subtle smile, like the one you'd see on an actress amidst an interview. "Pleased to meet you," she said. Even her voice was beautiful. Like honey.

Tamaki chatted, and I was enthusiastic to reply back. I told her about my awful detention, about how the brat kept on pelting me with paper. She giggled when I showed her the expression on the brat's face when I threw stuff back full fire.

But before we could go any further, Tamaki's mother said they must leave.

"A few more minutes, mom?"

"No. You two can catch up later," Tamaki's mother said and led Tamaki out of the room.

"Bye! See you tomorrow!" Tamaki shouted.

"See you!"

When Tamaki was gone, I shuttered. Something was wrong with her. Scratching my neck, I went to the changing room. The other girls were leaving, and I accidentally bumped into someone.

"Sorry!" I said. I looked up, and saw it was the Yuuhi teenager. She had changed into... ninja clothes? On her forehead was a headband, her hair let loose.

"No worries," she said, hanging a gear bag over her shoulder.

I watched her leave, and then got to changing. Just as I finished, my dad came into the studio.

"Sweetie! How did it go? Sorry I'm late," he said, gasping for breath, red faced with his glasses askew.

Before I could say anything, a hand fell on my shoulder. "She did exceptionally well. I hope she will continue lessons here," Ms. Hyuuga said.

"Oh! Are you the instructor?" my dad asked, nudging his glasses in place.

Ms. Hyuuga smiled. "Yes, my name is Hyuuga Kagami." She extended a hand.

"Kenta, Uchiha Kenta" my dad said, shaking her hand furiously. "It is great to meet my little girl's dance teacher. You say she is doing well? Ah, I always knew so. That's my pumpkin. Yup. Yes, you can definitely count on her being here. Right, honey?"

I nodded.

"See? She's got her mother's will in her. And I am absolutely confident that you will provide the very best. After all, you look like someone who's got a talent for dance, and you are very beautiful as well," he said, still shaking her hand.

Ms. Hyuuga laughed. "I am flattered, Mr. Uchiha. May I have my hand back now?"

My dad fumbled with his glasses, and his face went red again. "Ah, yes, of course! Sorry!"

"Ayae here will fit in just fine," Ms. Hyuuga reassured. "And support from her parents will definitely help."

"Ahaha! Right!" my dad agreed. "Her mother used to always help Ayae with this. I just carried the shopping bags of all those dance clothes they bought!"

I waited while they kept talking. Well, Ms. Hyuuga talked, while my dad made blabbering noises. They talked for a long, _long_time. At first, they praised me, and I was okay. But eventually, they moved on to things like, "Do you like dumplings?" So I got bored. In the end, I complained. When I found myself ignored, I dragged my dad out of the room by force.

His face was _still _red.

"And, I guess I'll see you next time? I guess?" he asked, on his way out, holding on to the door frame while I wrestled him out of there. My feet slid in place on the streets as I heaved his arm over my shoulder.

"Till next time, Mr. Uchiha."

"Bye-" My dad tripped on the ledge of the door and fell flat on his face. I slapped mine with my palm. I picked him up, and he scratched his head, laughing nervously. "I'm okay!"

"Bye bye." Ms. Hyuuga chuckled, and we left.

I liked walking with my dad. I did _not _like pulling him away from moving carts half the time and being yelled at by angry pedestrians. He was spaced out, smiling like there was no tomorrow.

"Dad?"

No response.

"Daddy..."

"_DAD_!"

"Huh? What? Yes?" He snapped out of it in time to avoid a pole.

"You're acting weird." I tucked on his sleeve so he would miss the lady balancing a big basket of fruit. "Are you listening?"

"Oh! Sorry, honey. Hey, did you do something with your head?"

I rolled my eyes, and told him that Itachi braided them for me.

"That's nice," he said. Then, "Say, isn't Ms. Hyuuga nice?"

I sighed, and pulled on his arm, so he would not be killed by the cat that just had his tail stepped on.


	4. Ginjiro Arc: Divergence of Fate

'i hate u.'

'i hate you too.'

'i hate u more.'

'i hate you more than more than more.'

'i hate u even if u r the last one on this plant, thats how much i HATE u!'

I rose an eyebrow, barely reading his chicken scratch. Ginjiro, the brat who got me in detention, had worst handwriting than _me_. Still, I was a girl, and girls always had prettier handwriting than boys. Well, _almost _always. Itachi did not count. He never counted.

Before I could write back, I was hit in the back of my head by another note. Ginjiro used my head as his aiming board. While I tried to do the same, I always missed. I was okay with missing though. Missing meant he had to crawl all over the room to find my note. The teacher would not know. After the first week, we could dance, and he would not know.

I pried the note from the inside of my collar, where it was itching my back.

The note read, 'OK, last one is a lie. u r maybe the 3rd person i hate most.'

Rolling my eyes, I wrote, 'Thanks. i am SO happy to know that i am not numbre 1.'

He sneered, and wrote back. I dodged his note, which landed on the table across from me. I grabbed the note, before readjusting my seat and covering any noise I made with a cough.

'Ha. ur cousins come before you do, so dont think u are all that.'

I scribbled, 'wat you have agianst my cousins? R you talking bout Shesui and Itachi.'

'Hoo ells?' My eye twitched, ignoring how our handwriting was getting worse.

'WHY? we havent done anyting to you!'

'Tel that to my brotter! All of shud just DIE!'

"You have a brother?" I mouthed to him. I did not want to do the note thing anymore. My homework looked like it got chewed up by a cat, since I tore more and more of the sides to write my notes.

"HUH?" he mouthed back.

"YOU. HAVE. A. BROTHER?" I silently asked again, adding hand gestures.

He nodded, frowning. "Yeah," he mouthed back. He then began to say more things but his lips were moving too fast.

"WHAT? Speak slower!" I hissed, keeping my voice as low as I can. He rolled his eyes and glanced at the teacher. Then, he got out of his seat and crawled to where I was. He slid into the seat next to mine and used his cap as a shield for his face. I scoffed. Like the teacher would fail to see his _bright red_baseball cap.

"I said you might have already met him. On the first day, in fact," Ginjiro whispered.

I racked my brain. On my first day of school, I had not met any person that might even _look_- like... him. I blinked. Then, I gasped and clapped my hands over my mouth. "_THAT_JERK?" I hissed.

He grinned. "So you do know him."

"Is he the person that-"

"Gave you the wrong directions and made you climb to the third floor, because he thought you might actually be stupid enough? Yeah."

Now that was mean. "But- but... why?"

"Wow. You are clueless, aren't you? It's called your NAME."

I was confused. "He doesn't like the name Ayae?" I thought my name was okay.

Ginjiro slapped his face. "No, stupid. Your LAST name. Uchiha. He hates Uchiha. Everybody hates Uchiha. Well, strangely, our class is okay with you. Only idiots can only like other idiots, I guess."

"Huh? But why would he hate the name Uchiha?" Uchiha did not sound any worse than Ayae, though writing it was annoying.

He gave an exasperated sigh. "You _are_dumb. Don't you know the fight that went on a year ago? Didn't anyone tell you?"

I shook my head.

Ginjiro rolled his eyes. He decided to clue me in. "Okay, my brother was senior. _Last_year. He was about to graduate, and he worked all his life to be a beginner ninja. He was last in his class, but he practiced and made the cut. He was going to be in a genin squad, so they put him with your cousin, Shisui, because they always do something to balance the best and worst in squads."

I was interested. "Uh-huh, yeah? How does that-?"

"My bro never got along with your cousin, okay? Shisui was that lazy guy who never had to do anything to get a perfect score. Your cousin never trained seriously. But, he was called the best student of the year, and all the teachers liked him just because of his last name.

"Then, during the graduation exam, my bro saw a mistake in one of your cousin's moves. He also saw that your cousin was using _genjutsu_to cover it up. When my bro pointed that out to the teachers, they warned him that if he didn't stop lying, he'll get expelled!

"My bro doesn't lie, okay? Our family just has no famous name, and there was no way a no-name like us could call out an Uchiha. So my brother put up with it, thinking one day he would get known by his own hard work. Then they'd _have _to believe him. But..."

"What? What happened?" I asked, and he covered my mouth. I spoke too loudly and hushed down. "What? He didn't? Why is he still in this school?"

"He never did graduate. He had the lowest score, and the school needed exact groups of three. So, they bumped him off in favor of someone else."

"Who-" I stopped. My eyes went wide. "Itachi."

Ginjiro grimaced. "Yeah, that kid. He moved through the grades in a year and was with the graduating class. He took my brother's spot at the last minute."

So _that _was why Itachi and Shisui were on the same squad, despite the age, and why they were always training together. That was why Ginjiro's brother would hate the Uchiha name.

"So, what happened to your brother?" I asked.

Ginjiro pulled his cap over his eyes. "As if taking his spot wasn't bad enough, your cousins insulted him. My bro picked a fight with Shisui, telling them to take back what they said. The teachers suspended him for that, even though fights happen all the time. In the end, my bro was held back a year. He already gave up though, said the system was rigged. So he began ditching. Even if he worked hard, he'd have to take another year of school."

"If he really wants to be a ninja," I said, "then it's not too late-"

"Yes it is," Ginjiro snapped at me. "We aren't rich like you! Our parents can't _pay _for another year. His only option left is either go to regular school, where he will be bullied for being a retard since he's two years behind, or be a dropout. My brother's life is ruined. You see? _That's_why I hate you!"

"But, but _I _didn't do anything!"

Ginjiro chuckled darkly. "You were born _spoiled_and _rich_without doing anything except be lucky."

"It's not like I can help that! I'm not rich either! My dad works so late every day!" I said. "Also, it's not Shisui's or Itachi's fault for doing well!"

"Would it have killed Shisui to not pull the bar so high? Would it have killed Itachi to wait another year?"

I quieted.

"See? No. They didn't even feel sorry for what they've done. You know what they told my brother? _Give up_. He was too weak to stand a chance anyway!" Ginjiro fumed.

Suddenly, I froze, feeling a stab my gut. "_Give up being a ninja. There's no hope for you_," I whispered.

Ginjiro raised an eyebrow at me. "Yeah, that's what your cousin told my brother. Exactly."

There was a weird feeling in my stomach, and it did not feel good. Confused, I blinked back the water in my eyes. "That's... what Itachi told me."

I fell silent. Meanwhile, Ginjiro looked at me, with a funny expression. Then, he softened up, and sent me pity. "Jeez. Sorry man, never thought they would be so rotten to turn on their own people too."

I swallowed, and then laughed it off. "Nah, it's okay. Itachi is right. And I don't even want to be a ninja. I don't, so it's not like it matters..." My voice trailed off.

"Are you sure about that?"

I hesitated, and Ginjiro patted me on the back.

"See? It's his words getting to you. I bet you _do_. You know, next year, we'll be entering the third grade. That's the year we decide which path we to take at the Academy: regular or ninja."

"Which are you taking?"

"Ninja, of course! I'm going to do it for me _and _my brother. I will prove to everyone I don't need a fancy name or money to be the best."

I had nothing to say. In one talk, Ginjiro turned my world upside-down. I always saw him as a jerk out to get me, but now I felt sorry for him and his brother. I admired his efforts too.

Meanwhile, I was not sure how I felt about Shisui and Itachi anymore. I thought they were my friends, but they only walked me to school because Aunt Mikoto asked them to. Not to mention all the times they teased me.

More than anything, I realized I was hurt by Itachi's words. Was I a loser in his eyes? I knew I did not have _perfect_grades, but still. I was worth something, right?

The more I thought, the sadder I got. After a while, I got angry. Who was _he_to tell me I was hopeless? I snapped the pencil in my hand, and Ginjiro's eyes widened. "Whoa, chill there."

I glared at the broken pencil. It was a regular pencil. It was not the red color pencil that I kept in my favorite pencil case, always in my backpack. It was not the one that Itachi gave me. No. This pencil was old and bitten away, with the eraser all rubbed off. I would not miss it.

The teacher heard the snapping noise. How he had missed our chattering was beyond me, but he asked why Ginjiro was sitting next to me. Then he gave a dull lecture about how this was detention.

Ginjiro was forced to go back to his old seat. I did not want him to go yet, since I had more things to say to him. Sighing, I ripped more of my homework and wrote down all my thoughts. Fitting as many words as I could, I wrote, 'i choose ninja. im not rich but and i will to do this my way. and i am sorry for your bro, i hope he will be OK.' I threw it to Ginjiro. He caught the note with his cap.

He smirked, and threw one back at me. 'u know, u arent bad.'

I gave a smile back. Our bad beginning was coming to an end.

When time was up, I did not rushed out of the classroom like I usually did. Instead, I waited for him to finish packing his books, and we walked out together.

"Heh, guess you aren't like the rest of them. You can say sorry. You're alright."

"Thanks," I said, happy his grudge against me was gone.

"But, if you are going to be a ninja, you better watch out."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because my bro got beaten by an Uchiha. No way that's happening with me! I'm going to leave you in the dust with my awesome mojo skills."

I laughed. "You wish!"

"Why? You think you got blood on your side? Because-"

I shook my head, "Nope, because I'm going to begin this thing called _training-like-mad_. And just so you know, I don't tire easily!"

"Neither will I. Boys can run faster than girls, you know."

"Liar!"

"It's true," he said smugly.

We stared at each other before...

"RACE!" we yelled. We pushed past the other and ran as fast as we could down the hall, our backpacks shuffling behind us. We ran so fast that we could not brake, slamming into the door at the same time.

"I win!" we screamed.

"No it was me!" we said, huffing and pointing fingers at each other. Then we laughed, at the same time, and caught our breaths.

"Tie?" I offered.

"For now. I'll beat you next time," he accepted.

We opened the door and saw a person sitting on the steps. He was the older kid that I met on the first day, Ginjiro's older brother. Strangely, I was not mad at him.

"Gin!" he greeted, then noticing me, snarled, "What are you doing with her?"

Ginjiro rolled his eyes. "I was the one that got us both in detention, remember? As it turns out, Ayae's cool. She ain't with the Uchiha duo. Just about an outcast, in fact."

His brother was not sure. But he spat, "Not surprised, really. We'll talk about this later." The siblings left down the road. Ginjiro, for the first time, waved goodbye.

Then the two were out of sight.

Because Shisui and Itachi were not here yet, I waited on the steps. The excitement from the run died down, I ended up thinking about my cousins again. I thought everything over and over, but no matter how I thought, I could not believe them. You do not mock when other people fail, especially if you caused it. And you do not tell people that they are weak or hopeless. They did not even apologize. It was mean, and it was bullying.

At the same time, I could not hate them either. It was not their fault Ginjiro's brother did not graduate.

Finally, I thought about what Itachi told me and felt my stomach knot again. His words really affected me.

That was when I made a decision. I got to my feet and began walking home, alone. I was old enough to walk home. Besides, I walked this path enough times to know the way. I half trampled, half stomped the pavement beneath my feet.

See, I was strong!

I turned a corner.

I also got good grades, and did super well when we learned long multiplication. On top of that, I could say the names of the Hokages and the Fire Daimyo! I memorized over half a dozen names. That was surely something.

And then there was ballet. Tamaki herself praised me, saying how pretty I was.

I turned the second corner, and saw the Uchiha district in sight. See, I would make it home myself. Who needed them?

Who needed them! Who-

"Yo!"

I stopped in my tracks. Before me were the two people in my mind.

"What are you doing here, squirt? We got worried when we didn't see you at school."

I crossed my arms. "I waited, but you two didn't come. I can make it home myself, you know. You don't have to treat me like a baby."

They exchanged looks.

"Is something bothering you Ayae?" Itachi asked.

"Yeah. Your face!" I said, huffing, and left for the road again. I passed the gate. The guards ignored me and let me in. My cousins followed behind. I could not outpace them.

"We thought that you wished for us to escort-" Itachi began again.

"That was then, this is now," I said.

Shisui raised an eyebrow. "Squirt, that was, like what, week ago?"

"Well it doesn't take more than a week to remember the way back!" I snapped.

Shisui took a step back. "Hey, hey, no need to yell." Then, he grinned. "And glad to know that you can make it back on your own now. So should we happen to _mysteriously disappear_one day..."

"Yeah, yeah. I don't need you two," I said, annoyed. I felt a hand grab my shoulder. Frustrated, I tried to shrug it off but Itachi kept his grip firm. "_What_?"

"What is wrong, Ayae?" Itachi asked. "You aren't yourself."

He looked concerned, and I swallowed.

What was I doing? Shisui and Itachi were my friends. I should not be mad at them. Once I was calm, I joked, "That was my tough act. You like?" I should not be mad.

Shisui gagged on his own spit. "Your _what_?" he asked.

I smiled, clapping my hands together. "Yeah! Because guess what? I've been thinking about it and, well..." I swayed for a small pause. "I've decided! I want to be a ninja when I grow up! Like you guys! And ninjas are tough!" I finished.

"What? _You_? A _ninja_?" Shisui held back a snort. But he did not hold back the booming laugh that followed.

I did not like Shisui's reaction. As I thought, he was not taking me seriously. Shisui was Shisui though. I turned to Itachi.

I did not like what I saw. Itachi's eyes glazed over. After a pause, he chose his words carefully. "Ayae, I thought you did not desire to be a ninja..."

I frowned. Why could he not just be happy for my decision? Why not say something like, 'That's great! Now you can train with us!'

I forced a grin, trying to remain cheerful. "I changed my mind! After all, I have to be good at _something, _and you always say that my dancing sucks..."

"I never said that," he said.

"Really? 'Ayae, your _artform_is rough.' 'You were off _rhy_-thm.' 'You are not extending your arm enough, look at the teacher.' 'You need more practice.' 'Your HAIR is in the way,'" I snapped, holding strands of my hair. "And when you have nothing to say? You look at Yuuhi instead! Apparently, I'm too boring! Fine! You don't have to come anymore. I can tie my own hair! Stop treating me like a child that can't handle her own hair!" I violently let go of my hair, my face practically in his.

"Ayae-"

"Now!" I interrupted. "I'm going to become a ninja and give it a shot. Who knows? I might be better at it than my bad dancing!"

"Ayae!" Itachi gripped my arm. For the first time, he raised his voice. I stopped ranting and gulped, listening to what he had to say. I was not happy with what he said though. "I never said you were bad at dancing. If you wish for me to no longer attend your dance recitals, then I will respect your wish. However, you are not thinking clearly. You do _not _wish to become a ninja."

"Yes, I do!"

"No, you do not."

"How can you know what I want, huh? It's _my_mind."

"Because it is obvious that something else is upsetting you, and leading to this irrational behavior. Tell me Ayae, what is wrong?" he asked again.

What was wrong? What was _wrong_? I snapped. "YOU! That's what's wrong! Get out of my sight! And don't talk to me either! You find me annoying? Well I find you annoying too, Uchiha Itachi! GO AWAY!"

I pulled away from him, with much more force than necessary, because he released his grip at the same time. I stomped away, and he did not follow. They remained behind, stunned.

As soon as I took the first step, I knew I should not have said that. I did not know what made me lash out like that, and I certainly did not meant it to be hurtful. They... they just got me angry. I hated their tone. I hated how they never took me seriously.

I did not hate them though.

I felt really bad. Then, I heard Shisui mutter to Itachi, "Hey, is this what they mean by girls being moody? What's it called? PMS?"

Correction, I did hate them. _Very_ much.

.

My detention was reaching an end, while my friendship with Ginjiro was beginning. What started as throwing objects at me turned into hate notes. Which turned into normal notes. Which turned into funny chats, inside or outside of detention.

I threw another note. He used his cap as a glove for my misfire. I no longer aimed at his head; he still aimed for mine. I did not mind. It was like this _thing_between us, and I would always know it was him.

Since he sat across the room during class, he would send messages to my table via notes too. My friends saw, and they would ask why I was being friendly with him. I told them that we had no reason to hate each other. Tamaki was most interested in this shift. "Hey, speaking of changes," she had said, "is it just me or is Itachi no longer picking you up?" My heart had dropped.

In one of my usual detentions, I read Ginjiro's note, before glancing out the window. As usual, Itachi was not there anymore. Only Shisui was outside, sleeping on a tree.

'I relized today is our last day.'

'Last day of wat?' I wrote back.

My mind wandered back to Itachi again. After I had snapped at him, I felt so bad that I kept practicing an apology for him the next day. But he did not pick me up that morning. He did not pick me up after school either. He did not come to my ballet lessons. He did not walk me home.

Shisui was still there, though, and I was thankful Shisui was not mad too.

Still, when Itachi did not show up the following days, I grew nervous. Eventually I had enough, realizing it was driving me nuts. I decided to ask Shisui about Itachi. Shisui just told me he went training. Even when I was at Aunt Mikoto's on Sunday, Itachi was not home. Aunt Mikoto told me he went training. _All day_.

No one "trains" _that_much. Who were they kidding? Itachi was mad at me, and now he was avoiding me.

A note fell on my desk. 'Detension! after today, we r FREE!'

'Ohh... i forgot...'

'how can u forget? its wat we been waiting for!'

'i dunno. i think i am geting used to this.'

'ahaha me too. but think about it. we can now use this time to do stuff.'

'trianing?'

'ya! how did u read my mind?'

'isnt that wat ninjas do?'

'wel, yea. but other stuff too.'

'like wat?'

'goofin, havin fun, showin our awesom powers and helpin people. O and eat.'

'eat?'

'u have to eat alootttttt of food, i think. because u need ennerje.'

'wont you get FAT?'

I heard him chuckling. 'u r being girly. no, u get buff!'

'ew! i dont want to look macho'

'err, well girls get tall then. and strong (not much as guys)!'

'better. you may be stonnger but i am gunna be look better' I doodled a smiley face.

'since its our last day, want to celebreat?'

'wat do you have in mind?'

'trianing... and food. but food is trianing.'

'i want food! but i have dinner.'

'oh.'

'no no its fine. ill tell my dad. dont tell him but his cooking is EW somtimes. but good too other times'

'same with my parents!'

'stinky food?'

'yea. u know a good place to eat?'

'hmm... assually, yea! the other day, Ayame invited me and som of my freinds to her familys noodle place.'

'is it good?'

'i dunno. i havnt achually ate there yet. but i think so.' The last note never made it to him because time was up. And so was our two weeks of not-so-bad torture. I told him what I had written. I liked the idea of eating someplace. Since I did not have ballet today, it would be perfect.

Ginjiro and I raced down the hallways. It became routine. We always ended in a tie though.

Outside, I met up with Shisui and casually asked him about Itachi, again. Itachi was training, again. Not bothering with that topic, I asked Shisui if I could spend the rest of the day with Ginjiro, and if Shisui could tell my dad that I wanted to eat out. Shisui cast a glance at Ginjiro, and Ginjiro glared back. Ginjiro hated Shisui, and Shisui thought that Ginjiro was a "bad influence" on me.

"I don't know," Shisui said, "I don't think you're old enough to be running around unsupervised, squirt."

I was indignant at his tone and began to argue. "Itachi is my age, and he can go anywhere he wants to alone!"

"Err, he's a special case. Besides, do you even have money?"

I pouted. "No. I will soon get an allowance though! Can I borrow some money, then? Until I can pay you back?"

"No way pipsqueak! My money!" Shisui said, backing away and hugging his backpack as if I would steal it.

"Shisui!" I said, stomping my foot.

"And your dad? Wouldn't he be worried that you are wandering the streets alone?"

"But I'll be with Gin!"

"Your detention buddy. Yeah, don't think so, squirt."

I moaned in frustration. My dad would not mind! I would be with a good friend. Besides, it is none of Shisui's business of what I could or could not do!

I relaxed when Ginjiro defended me.

"Come on, Ayae. I can pay for the two of us. I think I have enough," he said, giving Shisui a nasty look.

I blinked and thought over his offer. I smiled and nodded. "Tell my dad, okay, Shisui?"

I ran off with Ginjiro before Shisui could say no. After Ginjiro and I got some distance behind us, about five blocks, I looked back. "You think we lost him?" I huffed.

"Yeah."

"Good!" I gasped, collapsing onto the grass beside the sidewalk. He fell next to me, and we stared at the puffy clouds while we caught our breaths.

"You think you'll get in trouble?" he asked.

"Nah," I said. "My dad rarely grounds me. I didn't even get in trouble for the detention!"

"Really? Lucky! I got in trouble. But my brother treated me to barbecue."

I giggled. "Well, I didn't get in trouble because I told my dad it was _your_fault. He believed me."

"WHAT?"

"It IS."

He smirked, readjusting his cap. "I guess it sorta was. It was your mouth that started it though."

I jumped at him. Together, we rolled on the grass, wrestling.

"You started it!"

"Nuh-huh!"

"Uh-huh!"

"Nope!" he cheered, pinning me down.

"Yeah. It. Is!" I kicked him off, and we struggled some more.

In the end, we both got a big laugh. I had mud all over my face, and his hair was ruffled after I snatched his cap. Both of us were covered in grass stains, especially our elbows and knees.

"Huh, you look nicer without the cap," I complimented, handing his cap back to him.

He fitted the cap snugly on his head. "Nah, this was my first-day-of-school present from my bro. You look awful though!"

My hand went to my face, accidentally smearing mud onto my cheeks. I laughed again.

Ginjiro extended a hand to me and helped me off the ground. "Let's get going, Ayae. I'm starving!"

I nodded. I did not regret my choice. I liked spending time with Ginjiro outside. Even the weather was beautiful, with summer starting and the sky bluer than ever.

I saw the orphanage and cheered. "That's it! It's only a block from here!" I told him. "Last one there is a rotten ninja!"

"No fair! Head's start!"

When we reached the noodle shop, we were greeted by a jolly man, wearing a white cook uniform. Ayame was there, doing her homework. When she saw us, she gave a shy wave. Ginjiro and I both grabbed a stool and ordered something to eat.

Ayame's father handed us towels, saying to clean up our faces before digging in.

"I thought you said you would buy for me." I pouted, grabbing a pair of chopsticks. I heard Ginjiro ordered only one bowl of ramen, not two.

"Have you _seen_how big these bowls are? I think we'll have more than enough." He pointed on one of the bowls stacked up on the counter, and my eyes went wide.

"Daddy believes in value. What you pay is what you get, and he doesn't cheap out," Ayame said. From across the counter, she watched us with amusement. She asked why we were here. We told her that it was our out-of-detention party.

When the big bowl of ramen came, Ginjiro and I dug in. We slurped noodles, spilling soup all over our faces. Many times, our chopsticks collided as we both fought over the same piece of pork, but both of us steered clear of the veggies and pushed them to the other person's side of the bowl. Even with nasty vegetables, the ramen was the best I ever tasted!

The only thing that would have made everything better? If I had gotten my own bowl. Half the time we found ourselves slurping the opposite ends of the same noodles. Each time that happened, Ayame would snap the noodle in two with chopsticks.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say two are on a date," Ayame teased.

"EW!" Ginjiro and I said, and Ayame giggled some more.

When the last of the ramen was gone, we took turns gulping down the soup. In the end, I was so full I could barely move.

"You were right. One bowl was more than enough," I said, patting my belly.

"Are you kids satisfied?" Ayame's father asked. "Because we have more, and in different flavors too. There's beef, pork, soy sauce, cold, you name it. We've even started a new seafood special ramen!" He handed us brochures of their different specialties.

I shook my head and thanked him, promising that I would spread a good word of their restaurant. Ayame waved us goodbye.

"I should get home now," I sighed.

"You want me to walk you there?" Ginjiro asked me, shoving both hands down his pockets.

"Sure."

He followed me until the Uchiha district was in sight. There, he stopped. "Ayae, I don't think I should go in there. Can you make it there by yourself?"

I nodded.

He grinned and waved, walking in the other direction. "See ya!"

"Bye!"

When I turned back toward the district, I stopped. There was someone passing through the gate.

Itachi.

I rubbed my eyes to make sure. Itachi was definitely there, going into the district. Since when...?

I snapped myself out of it. Now was my chance! I sprinted to the gate. "Wait! ITA... chi?" When I reached the gate, he was nowhere in sight.

I blinked. Could my mind be playing tricks on me? Or did he hear me and leave?

"Did Itachi just pass through here a minute ago?" I asked one of the guards.

The guard gave me a weird look. I looked down, and saw myself covered in mud. A few straws of grass were sticking from my hair.

"No," he said.

"Are you sure?" It was getting dark, yes, but there was still enough light to see.

"Little girl, Itachi hadn't passed by here since morning."

"When was that?"

The guard rolled his eyes. "I don't keep track of time. Maybe two hours before you left?"

I thanked him and went home. When I opened the door, I found my dad asleep by his half-eaten dinner. Next to him was note.

'Ayae, sweetie, when you get home, you are SO grounded. -Still love you, Dad.'

I gulped and tiptoed to my room, not wanting to catch my dad in a bad mood. On my bed was another note. 'Stop acting so foolishly. You had your father worried sick.'

My heart skipped a beat. I knew that handwriting.

But I blinked. And when I reopened my eyes, the second note vanished from my hand.

.

I hated my age. Every night, I tried to force myself to wake up early. But my body refused to do so! I could not believe Itachi could wake up so early.

Still, I kept trying. I would set my alarm clock on the highest volume every night. And every morning, I would sleep right through the alarm. The few times the noise did wake me up, I would pull the covers over my head and go back to sleep. Other times, the alarm woke up my dad instead, and he would shut my alarm and moan for his coffee.

Speaking of my dad, he grounded me for a whole week. A _whole_week without television, sleepovers, or any life. I was so bored that I finished all my homework, practiced for my dance, and had time leftover to lie in bed and rant to the ceiling.

Grounding was worse than detention, because I was by myself with _nothing to do_. When I complained about this to my dad, he gave me a smile. And a book. A book. What was I supposed to do with a _book_? There were no pictures in it.

There was not even a picture on the cover! I read the title. _The Little Ninja_. The story sounded interesting, until I flipped to the first page and saw a million little texts of some unknown language. I slammed the book shut, horrified. No pictures, no reading!

One morning, my dad knocked on my door. "Sweetie, wake up. I made pancakes!"

And while the smell was tempting, I was too tired to get out of bed. I also suffered from I-hate-being-grounded syndrome. "It's Saturday!" I complained.

"And a fine day. Outta the bed, now! You'll miss it!"

I pulled the covers over my head and made myself comfortable in the blankets. I did not want to get up.

Unfortunately, my dad opened up the curtains wide open and let in an intense beam of sunlight. Then he tickled my feet. While I squirmed, he pulled the blankets away from me too. I was unable to control my laughter, so between breaths, I yelled stop. "Jeez! I'm up! I'm up!"

Pleased, my dad pulled me up. "You know, if stayed in there any longer, I would have gotten the bucket."

My eyes widened at him. "You wouldn't!" I hated the bucket. Back in the capital, I had refused to get up for my first day of preschool. So my mom suggested the bucket. I got drenched head to toe in ice water, shivering and screaming at them. They laughed. Looking back, that day was not bad. I made lots of friends in preschool.

"What kind of pancakes?" I asked my dad.

"I made your mom's recipe. Very Berry Strawberry-"

Before he could finish, I scrambled down the steps and into the kitchen. Very Berry Strawberry pancakes were the most heavenly food ever. I grabbed a plate and stacked seven on it. I was chewing down my third one when my dad appeared in the kitchen and began searching through the cabinets.

"Where's the syrup?" I asked, munching on a strawberry.

"Looking for it..." he hummed, grabbing the bottle along with a mug. My dad tossed me the syrup bottle while he filled his mug with coffee.

"Why do you drink that?" I asked while pouring a hearty amount of syrup on my pancakes.

My dad yawned and took a sip. "Need it. I haven't gotten much sleep lately. We are _so_close to a breakthrough at work."

Curious, I asked if I could drink some coffee, and he handed me the mug.

I grimaced and spat the bitter taste out of my mouth. "EW. Why do you drink that? It tastes horrible!"

He shrugged. "You'll understand when you get older. Hey! Hey, you going to share those pancakes?" he said, quickly putting a few on his own plate before I took the rest of them.

"First come, first serve!" I laughed, stabbing the blueberry on his plate with my chopstick.

He sighed. "Glad you always have an appetite for this. I can't make it as well as your mom though."

"They are fine!" I proclaimed, licking the syrup off my plate. "As long as you don't mess it up by putting junk on it. Like with the spaghetti last time."

"Yeah, honey don't go well with tomatoes, do they?" He laughed at his blunder and scratched his neck. "So how is your grounding?" he asked, changing the topic.

"BORING! Daddy, when am I ungrounded? I already promised that I will never, never, never, never do that again."

"Three more days, sweetie, three more days," he said, finishing the last of his coffee. "Have you finished that book?"

"No."

"Read it. Many parents from this district told me it is an enriching book for kids your age."

"But it has no pictures in it! And the words are so long and plain _boring_."

"Books don't always have pictures, honey."

My dad got up and began to clean the dishes. "Hey, why don't you get cleaned up? I've got a meeting today, so you're going to Aunt Mikoto's, okay?"

I brightened at that idea and went to my room. I picked out a pretty summer dress to wear. I pondered what to bring with me, and grabbed Utako. The book too, since my dad insisted I read it.

Auntie was not expecting my arrival, but she welcomed us with joy.

I glanced around the living room. Sasuke was playing with a ball. My spirits deflated when Itachi was not there. My dad waved us good bye, and Auntie slid the door behind us.

"Ayae, would you like anything?" Aunt Mikoto asked.

I shook my head. "No thanks Auntie, I just ate a big breakfast. Where's Itachi?" I asked shyly.

Aunt Mikoto did not avoid my eyes this time, but smiled. "He's in his room, I think. Would you like to come with me upstairs and see if he wants to play?"

I beamed and nodded. I had so many things to say to him. An apology is on the top of the list.

Aunt Mikoto led me upstairs to a door, closed and bare. She knocked. "Itachi? Ayae's here."

We waited.

Aunt Mikoto knocked a little louder. "Itachi?" Finally, she slid his door open. The bedroom was empty. Aunt Mikoto became worried and told me to stay put while she checked the other rooms. She left in a rush.

Meanwhile, I peeked into Itachi's room. Curious, I entered. The bed looked like it was never slept in, the bedding folded. The floors were visible, unlike mine. There was a desk, with books stacked on top. I flipped though one book, interested in what he could be reading.

To my pleasure, I saw pictures. To my annoyance, they were diagrams with a bunch of numbers. The font was microscopic, and looked a million times nastier than the books my dad had in his library.

Just as I was about to put Itachi's book back, I caught a glimpse of the cover underneath. To my surprise, it was a battered textbook. Was he not finished with school? I set the first book down and opened the second. It was a math textbook, I think. Well, numbers were replaced with odd shapes and symbols. Moaning, I closed that one as well, finding nothing that I could read.

I tried a drawer, but those were locked. I pulled on the drawer beneath it and found it locked as well. I was surprised when the last drawer did slide open. There was a kunai, some shuriken, scrolls, and brushes.

Moving onto the dresser, I found clothes. Everything was folded and organized. His wardrobe was dull, the same clothes I see him in every day. They were mostly ninja wear, and the same colors. Blue and black and white, white and black and blue. Would it kill him to add some color? Besides the Uchiha crest, that is. I had not realized earlier, but every Uchiha in the district wore that crest. Only my dad and I did not. We were the only ones to be brave enough to go outside the blue-black palette scheme too.

I went on to the closet. I found some winter items and formal wear. There was a yukata in the back, so back that I almost missed it. The yukata did not look like it was worn though.

Finally, there was a nightstand, and a lamp. No alarm clock, I noted.

At the end of my investigation, I concluded one thing: This. Was. The. Lamest. Bedroom. That. I. Had. Ever. Been. In.

It was more boring than the room of an adult, tidier than my mom's and filled with books more complex than my dad's.

Itachi had nothing even _worth_a second glance at. There were no toys, no television. The one thing interesting were the mysterious, locked drawers. I was picking at the keyhole with my fingernails when Aunt Mikoto came in.

"Ayae, he's not here. He must have left already," she said.

I jumped away from the desk and gave a nervous laugh.

Aunt Mikoto saw the open books, and I cursed at myself for forgetting to put those back.

"Are you interested in some of his reading materials?"

"No, I can't understand them," I admitted.

She gave a sad smile. "I would be surprised you can. These were from his father's library."

"They look boring," I said.

At this, she laughed. "His father pushes him quite hard. Boring or not, Itachi needs to read them. After all, he has to improve." Her voice became quiet. Then, she bounced back and added, "Let's go dear. And try not to come in here anymore, okay? Itachi would not be happy if he knew someone invaded his privacy." She stacked the books back in their original order, and we left, shutting the door behind us.

Downstairs, Sasuke reached for his mom, and the smile on Aunt Mikoto's face was back.

I joined them, patting on the toddler's head. Sasuke was warming up to me.

"Sasuke, how have you been?" I asked.

"OK, you?"

"Bored," I sighed. "I got grounded."

He tilted his head. "Grounded?"

"Yeah, I've been bad," I replied, putting it in simpler terms.

"Oh. Ayae's been bad. Brother Itachi is _never_bad."

I ruffled his hair. "Hey, don't have to remind me that Sasuke!"

The toddler gave a lopsided grin. Aunt Mikoto saw my book and asked me if I was going to read it. I told her that I was supposed to. That sparked an idea, as Aunt Mikoto asked if I would like for her to read it to me. Sasuke cried that he wanted to hear the story too. It was settled.

I hugged my doll while Sasuke hugged me, and we listened as Auntie read _The Little Ninja_.

"The Little Ninja," she narrated. "Once upon a time..."

There was a little boy who was on a journey. He had nothing except the clothes on his back and a sack. The sack was empty of all items except a dozen of apples. And despite how hungry he became, his mother warned him to never eat those apples. When the boy asked why, the mother told him nothing more and bid him farewell.

The boy wandered the land for three days and three nights, clueless of where to go or what to do, but he could no longer linger in his mother's home. And so, for those three days and three nights, he would walk through the countryside and through the rivers and valleys, surviving off berries and the fish that he caught.

On the fourth day, a fisherman, who was rowing in his boat, noticed how skillful the boy was at capturing the catfish. The fisherman asked the boy where he was going. I could take you to your destination, here on his boat, in exchange for those fish, the fisherman said.

But the boy did not know where he was heading. Curious, he asked the fisherman what laid on the other side of the river.

The fisherman told him magnificent stories of the other side. He told the boy that it was a place of ninjas. Of people would compete for riches and glory, of people who would defend their homeland, and of people who knew the light and was aware of "the cause." Most of all, these ninjas fought for the ultimate prize: a princess who needed the strongest and bravest ninja to rescue her.

That is stupid, the boy replied, why are they fighting? Who needs riches when all you ever need can be attained with your own hands? What does glory do for you? What are they defending their home from? What is the cause? And why are they doing it for all for a woman?

There were many questions, and he was confused and intrigued at the same time. The man shook his head, muttering that the boy would never understand. Then make me understand, the boy said, I want to know. He gave the fisherman three catfish and an apple in exchange for a ride to the other side. The boy's mother told him to never eat the apples, so what else were they good for except as payment?

On the other side of the river, the boy noticed the change in scenery. Instead of peaceful meadows, farms, and rivers, he saw thick forests and wild animals. Regretting his decision, he went to ask the fisherman to take him back. But it was too late, because the fisherman had already rowed away. So, that only left the option of moving forward.

He traveled through the dense trees, many times facing off dangerous creatures. After barely escaping with his life in one incident with a wild hog, he laid on the forest floor, exhausted. I do not want this, he sighed to himself, I was better off on the other side of the river.

Why? And live a boring life? Look at all this excitement around you!

The boy jumped up and searched for the source of the voice. He discovered that it came from a crow perched upon a tree. What are you talking about? I was nearly mulled over by a giant pig! the boy exclaimed at the bird.

And wasn't it _exciting_?

No, the boy said. I miss sleeping in the haystacks. I miss watching fish and their gleaming scales jump out of rivers. I miss the peaceful life on the other side, where there are no worries.

The crow circled the boy and laughed at the boy's desires. Peace is little price compared to _adventure_. Listen, there is no point in looking back. Live here! I will show you the correct path to being a ninja!

The boy agreed and made the crow his new companion.

First, you will need a weapon, the crow told him, you will need to arm and defend yourself. So, the two went to a cabin of a blacksmith and requested the finest sword and stars. The blacksmith eyed the boy and asked what he was doing on the other side.

He is going to be a ninja of course! the crow answered, batting its wings excitedly. Seeing the boy was young, the blacksmith dubbed him The Little Ninja, and it became a name that stuck with the boy throughout his adventure. The blacksmith forged the boy a magnificent sword and his best quality throwing stars. He gave these to him, wishing the boy the best of luck along his journey. The boy, having nothing else to repay his kindness, gave him an apple.

The man thanked the boy. With that, the crow and the boy left, new weapons in hand. What do I do next? the boy questioned the crow.

Now you need a master to train you was the reply. The Little Ninja and his bird friend set off on a walk, and the two arrived at their destination in the mountains. There, in one of the caves in the mountains, was an old man. He is going to be my master? He looks like he can hardly stand up, the boy told the crow, frowning.

Trust me, the crow cooed, he is the best.

The old man saw the boy and looked at him in the eyes. And what do you need?

A master, the bird replied for the boy, he is going to become a ninja!

Why? the old man asked.

The boy was not expecting that question and could not think of a good reason. Finally, he told the old man he wished to save the princess. The elder cast the boy a bored look, saying he will not succeed where so many have failed. But the crow insisted that the boy was the one.

To stop the crow's bickering and flapping, the old man agreed and decided to teach the boy. To his surprise, the boy learned faster than he expected, and the master finally saw his pupil's true potential. He taught him ninjutsu techniques, such as creating fireballs. And disappearing from sight with invisibility. Or the ability to walk on water and jump higher than trees. Finally there came the day when the boy learned everything he could, and with the crow, set off on his journey again. In payment for all the old man's help, he gave him an apple.

Where to next? the boy questioned his close companion. He had just hunted and finished feasting on a rabbit, gaining confidence in his abilities. Before the crow could respond, a kunai flashed by. The boy dodged and spun around to find the thrower.

Within seconds, katana clashed katana. It was another boy about his age, also a ninja.

Friend or foe? the other boy asked, with a murder intent.

"_And_? They become friends right?"

Aunt Mikoto stopped reading and looked up from the book, smiling. "I've read this story before," she told me, "And I remember it quite well. Oh my, Sasuke's fallen asleep."

She picked up the toddler that was cradled on my lap. "Let me tuck him away. Don't touch the book, Ayae dear. I'll finish it later with you."

I waited. I was tempted to pick up the book and read the rest myself, but Aunt Mikoto specifically told me to not touch it. I sighed, thinking of the life of an ninja. Adventure! Romance! It made me restless to think I could do all those cool things. So that was why my cousins went training all day. And why Ginjiro and his brother wanted to be one so badly.

When Aunt Mikoto came back, she went back to reading. I interrupted a few times. Once, I asked if she read this book when she was little.

"No, I didn't. But I was told to read this to Itachi when he was younger," she said.

And I became even keener on knowing the story, listening intensely.

.

The Little Ninja trained, he became strong, he made friends, he married the princess after saving her from the assassins and lived happily ever after. That was the story of _The Little Ninja_, the way I knew of it. I found it a great book.

Shisui thought otherwise.

"You've read it too?" I asked him on one of our daily walks to school.

"Of course. My dad made me read it, and it was the _worst _book ever." He grimaced.

"What are you talking about? It was great! They made apple pie in the end!"

Shisui blinked at me. "Pie?"

"Yeah!" I exclaimed. "And the Little Ninja was so brave! The princess is so lucky! She got saved by the Little Ninja and they kissed and everything! It was so sweet and the festival and the moonlight carriages and their wedding!"

"Are you sure that you're-"

"And I love the crow! I want to keep a pet crow too! Do they really talk? I've never heard a crow talk. They do make that annoying cawing noise though. I always thought they were ugly, but now I want one!"

"Err, yes, there are crows that can talk. They are summoning animals, but are you positive that-"

"_Really_? There are animals that can _talk_?"

"Well, _yes_, but-"

"I made up my mind. I'm definitely going to be a ninja. And get talking animals as pets, and fight monsters, and when I'm captured, I'll be saved by I-" I stopped myself. Hoping Shisui did not catch me, I quickly added, "The Little Ninja! MY little ninja. Not the one in the story, of course. He belongs to the princess."

Shisui rolled his eyes as I went on to tell him the story. My mouth made words on its own. I tried to cover up my blunder by chatting rapidly.

I did not want to think about Itachi. If he did not want to see me, fine. I had other friends.

After my grounding ended, I spent more time with Ginjiro. We would get familiar with the school practice grounds. Since we did not even have fake, let alone real, ninja stars to throw at the posts, we settled for playing tag. I tripped and scrapped my knee once. I was not bleeding, only scratched the outer layer of skin. Ginjiro freaked out though, and asked if I was okay.

I liked Ginjiro. In fact, he was becoming a closer friend than Tamaki.

Of course, Tamaki was still officially my _best_friend. She was the first one to treat me nicely on my first day of school. And included me into her club of friends, and I had never attended so many sleepovers and shopping dates in my life. Not even at the capital! Not to mention Tamaki defended me when I got bullied, and she even accepted my friendship with Ginjiro, unlike Dai, who protested to letting a boy join our circles.

In dance, Ms. Hyuuga began to teach us more advanced techniques, like spins. I accidentally fell on another girl when I lost my balance. Neither of us were hurt, and we laughed it off. Most of us were pretty clumsy, the exception being Ms. Yuuhi. She never fell, not once. Ms. Yuuhi was my secret role model, because I wished to be just like her when I grew up.

"Careful there," Ms. Hyuuga said, picking both me and the other girl up.

At the locker room, I saw the cause of my fall. The ribbon had become undone. I needed a haircut too. I shuddered at the thought. Haircuts were not pleasant.

Since no longer came to my recitals, Shisui did my hair. Only, Shisui could not braid for his life! He would excuse himself with, "I'm not a girl! Guys don't _need_to learn how to braid! See this? Yeah, it's called _short hair_!" So Shisui would just tie my hair into pigtails. But pigtails became loose after spinning around.

After changing, I complained to Shisui.

"Can't you at least _learn_how to braid hair?" I pleaded.

"Can't you cut your hair, squirt?"

"NO!"

"What am I going to do? Ask my mom, "Hey! I need you to teach me how to braid hair. Why? Because this squirt here will eat me alive if I don't!""

"Do that," I said, serious.

"I am not going to learn a girly skill such as braiding hair. I am a _ninja_, and I am a _guy_, and I am _proud_. I can tie your hair into military knots, though. I learned the advanced triple monkey hoop helix knot the other day."

I backed away. "You and your monkeys stay away from my hair!"

"And you and your girly braiding stay away from me! I'll be the laughing stock of my squad if they learned I asked my mom for braiding lessons."

We were at a standstill. I could not take it anymore. I banged my head on the wall. "This sucks. There. I said it. Ground me for cursing, but this positively SUCKS." My bangs slid down, covering my eyes.

Shisui laughed when I blew the bang away in annoyance. "Jeez, just get one of the other girls to help you."

"No, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about Itachi!" I said.

"How is Itachi related to any of this?"

"Because he can solve my hair problem! It has been three weeks. Why is he still avoiding me, Shisui? No one can be mad _that _long."

He opened his mouth, and then closed it. I always circled around the topic when it came to Itachi, so my direct question caught him off guard. "Err, well, I told you, he has-"

"Enough with the training excuse! I'm not stupid. I yelled at him, and next day he disappears? And not _once_have I seen him since."

"Listen…"

"Not once!"

Shisui rubbed his neck. "Okay, okay, you're right. You caught me. He is avoiding... but-"

"Does he hate me then?" I asked.

"What? No!"

"Then why is he not here? I know that I was mean, but I've been trying to say _sorry_! If he's mad-"

"No, no, you've got this wrong, squirt. He's not-"

"If he's not mad, then why is he not picking me up? Why is he not at my dance? Why is he not walking me home? Why did he disappear from my life? I miss him, Shisui. I miss him so bad. I thought he was my friend, so why would he do something like this? _Why_!"

I kicked the bench. I took my anger out on it until my foot began to hurt.

"What are you saying?" Shisui asked. "I thought you said you wanted him gone from your life."

"Are you kidding? Of course I don't want him gone! He is driving me _insane_by just not being here," I yelled. Three weeks of bottled frustration and disappointment exploded.

"Is my absence so intolerable?"

"See? _Insane_. Now I'm _hearing_him! As if _seeing_him wasn't enough."

"Uhh, squirt-"

"I am in the middle of a _rant_here! At least let me finish!"

"Ayae…"

I turned around. "Didn't you just hear me? I-"

I blinked.

Twice.

Was I imagining things? I poked the boy in front of me. Yup, he was solid. So, unless I could touch delusions too, he was the real thing.

"Ayae, will you refrain from touching my face?" he asked, as I ran my palm over his face.

After making sure this was indeed Itachi, and not my imagination, I leaped back. "How long- when- did you just hear-"

Shisui coughed. "Um, how should I say this? Err, Itachi... never left."

"You told me he was training," I dumbly said.

"I was," Itachi said, removing some bracelets from his wrist. When did he have those?

"So. You never... left? You were here? The whole time?"

Shisui shrugged. "So, Itachi, guess I am safe to say _I told you so_?"

"Cousin, you told me nothing."

"What?" I asked, confused and left out.

"Okay, squirt, I should have said something. Itachi had been walking on the rooftops above us. And he watched and criticized your dancing too. To _me_that is, which, by the way, was annoying to listen to, so I'm siding with you on this one. He's always been there. You just never saw him."

I opened my mouth. Then, I closed it. I turned to Itachi, who was calmly glaring at Shisui to silence before Itachi murdered him.

"So, you heard me? Just now?" I asked.

"Yes," Itachi said, looking away.

"Why?"

"You told me to get out of your sight, to not speak to you, and to go away. I complied with your demands."

"You… you…"

"Hey, I _tried _to him that you were kidding, but does he listen? Nooo! It's always squirt said this, squirt said that, she does not want me to come. Do you have _any _idea how…" Shisui's voice drowned out when I ran and hugged Itachi.

I gripped him tight, hoping he would never disappear again. "Itachi, promise me you won't ever, ever, ever, ever do that again. And if you do, I'll kill you, then bring you back to life, and kill you again." I wrapped my arms around him. "And I'm very sorry about what I said."

He was surprised by my embrace and dropped the bracelets he was holding. They landed on the floor, and the wood crunched. After a minute, I felt a hand against my back, as he hugged back.

The hug was odd, and awkward, and before I knew it, he escaped my clutch to pick up the bracelets. I saw a small indent on the floor where the bracelets landed. However, before I was able to get a better look at the bracelets, Itachi hid them.

I refused to let my cousins leave the ballet studio, in fear that Itachi would disappear again. Instead, we sat on the bench, waiting for my dad to pick us up. I sat in the middle, clutching Itachi's arm while talking to Shisui. I refused to let go. If ever lost him again, it would be as if I lost myself again.


	5. Ookiiranpu Arc: A Movie for Us

I was dazzled by the flier in front of me.

No. Way. No way, no way, _no way_!

"Tamaki! Where? Why? How!" Setsu muffled my excitement. The teacher was droning on about ninja applications. While the things he said were interesting at first, everyone lost attention. The teacher would forget and say the same things over and over again.

Once Setsu saw I was calm, she released me. I could not afford to get detention again.

"'I got free pass. Want to go?" Tamaki asked me, taking back the flier.

"How on earth did you get free passes to _Princess Fuun_?" I asked. "The second movie isn't supposed to come out until forever!"

Tamaki smirked. "My mom knows people. So are you coming?"

"YES!" I exclaimed.

"Yes, what?" A red hat bobbled near the table. I scooted over so Ginjiro could share my seat.

When I showed him the flier, he just scratched his head. "A movie?"

"Not _any_movie. It's from the Princess Fuun series. You know, the cartoon one on the Saturday kid's channel."

"Eh." He did not look too interested, so all the girls, including me, gawked at him. "What?"

"Aren't you excited?" Dai asked.

"Not really. It's some girl show."

Tamaki scoffed. "Idiot. The show is for guys too. And adults. It's popular, and this is the _only_chance we might see it, unless you want to wait another year or so for the official release."

"What's it about?" Ginjiro asked.

"We don't know," Dai said. "But I heard rumors that this one was shot _all_the way in Moon. They even had to take a long boat and sailed a week to the island. How awesome is that? And I heard that this time, _real _ninjas would be the actors, with never before seen jutsu!"

The never-before-seen jutsu part caught Ginjiro's attention. "Seriously?"

"Yeah! And I got free entry, and can take as many as I like," Tamaki said. "Want to come with?"

"Seriously?" he said.

I urged him to go. It would be great. He agreed.

"Great! The more people the better." Tamaki handed each of us a piece of paper. "The movie is playing at the FuwaFuwa Movie Theatre in Ookiiranpu. Your parents should know where it is, so ask them to come this Saturday. My mom is going, and so is Dai's dad. Setsu's going to go with Dai. Ayame's squeezing with me. That leaves Ginjiro and Ayae," Tamaki said professionally.

Ginjiro frowned. "Ookiiranpu? Isn't that far?"

Tamaki shrugged. "It's only a few hours by cart or wagon."

"And walking?" Ginjiro asked. I understood him. Wagons were expensive, and both our families could not afford one.

"Um, that, I don't know. A few more hours?" Tamaki said, unsure. "Will you not be able to make it then?"

Ginjiro glanced over to me. He would decide when I decide.

My mind was made up. "I can go. My dad will say yes," I said.

My dad said no.

"But _why_," I whined, pleading with him at dinner. "It's _Princess Fuun, _daddy!"

"No, honey."

"_Why_?"

Sighing, he put his chopsticks down. "Because I'm needed at the office this weekend. I didn't want to tell you till later. I was hoping you were fine staying with Aunt Mikoto."

Under other circumstances, I would not have minded. But this was _the movie of the year_!

I slumped, and then thought of an idea. "What if someone else took me?" I asked.

He thought it over. He asked, "Well, who do you have in mind?"

"Well, Ginjiro and his brother are going."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Well, first off, I don't know if I like this Ginjiro kid. Isn't he the one that got you in detention?"

"It wasn't _entirely _his fault," I defended.

"And put that aside, how old is his brother?"

I blinked and did some math. Since he was a senior, and held back one year, and graduation was at age 12...

"Fourteen?" I said. That sounded much than thirteen. And he could fourteen, since it was the end of the year.

"That is way too young. You need an adult, and one that I can trust."

I sighed. My dad was being patient with me on this, but did he _have_to keep on pointing out my age? I was almost eight.

Suddenly, the answer came to me. I nearly skipped. "What if Auntie took me?"

My dad chewed a piece of pork and swallowed. I waited, and waited, and he finally said, "Maybe."

I did a victory dance. Maybe meant yes.

However, we would first have to see if Aunt Mikoto was willing. So after dinner, we slipped on our shoes and walked over to their house. My dad knocked.

We heard footsteps, and the door slid open. We saw Aunt Mikoto beam in delight. "Oh my! Kenta, Ayae, what are you two doing here? We were just in the middle of dinner!"

"Is this a bad time then?" my dad asked, while I peeked behind her and caught a glimpse of the kitchen.

"No, not at all! Come in!"

My dad grinned and sheepishly stepped in, giving her a cardboard box. "Good thing you are still eating, because we brought you these. Your family might like it, since we sure pigged out. Right, Ayae?"

"Right!" I laughed. The box had a half a pie of cheesecake that my dad bought at the bakery. We loved sweets, and enjoyed daily desserts. No need to say, the missing half was devoured by us.

"Thank you very much. Would you like to join us, Kenta? Come, I'll get you some tea," Aunt Mikoto said, motioned us to the kitchen.

The whole family was there, even the dad. He was drinking tea, when he heard his Aunt Mikoto's footsteps and asked, "Who was it?"

I was a little scared of the dad. Both his expression and tone were harsh.

"Kenta and his daughter, Ayae, are here. And they even brought some dessert to share. Kenta, this is my husband, Fugaku. I'm sure you two have met before."

"Right, right. Nice to see you!" my dad laughed nervously, reaching out to shake his hand.

"Pleasure."

Meanwhile, I plopped myself right smack in between Itachi and Sasuke. I squeezed myself in, and they were quick to make room for me.

"Hey," I said, while my dad talked to their dad.

"How come you are here?" Sasuke asked, taking a drink of juice.

"Came to ask something."

"What something?" he asked, keeping his voice hushed.

"Oh, just things," I replied, teasing him.

The child pouted at not getting an answer. I turned to Itachi. "Hey," I said.

"Hello, Ayae," he said. I waited for him to say something else. He did not. Instead, he picked up his tea and sipped it. Sasuke watched his brother and imitated him. Every time Itachi brought the mug to his lips, Sasuke brought the glass to his own. It was so cute!

My dad and I came at the right time. The family was about finished with their own dinner. Itachi's bowl was so clean it looked as if he just took it out of the cupboards. Sasuke's had uneaten vegetables in his, and specks of rice here and there. I also saw how they ate different things than what my family ate. Their diet was old style, while we picked up eating habits from the capital.

Aunt Mikoto came back with the cake, sliced neatly into six pieces.

"Mommy, what is that?" Sasuke asked.

"Ayae's dad brought cake, Sasuke," she said. Aunt Mikoto gave the first piece to her husband. My dad said he did not want any, so she gave the next pieces to her sons. I shook my head at the offer as well, too full.

When Sasuke dug into his slice, his eyes _sparkled_. Itachi waited for their father to eat, and then tried a piece as well. He liked it. A lot.

I grinned. "Amazing, right?"

"This is new," he said.

Laughing, I dug my finger in and grabbed a bite of his cheesecake for myself. The corners of his mouth twitched. "You know, Ayae, if you wish to have some, you could have a new slice."

"Nah, too lazy for plate," I said. Itachi's grin widened slightly.

It was great. I liked seeing him happy.

Then, his expression was wiped clean by their father's cough. Their father pardoned himself from my dad's chatting with the couple. Before he left, though, I thought he glared at me. I got shivers up my spine, until I realized he was not looking at me, but at Itachi.

Itachi looked back and gave a small nod, understanding. And with that, their father disappeared upstairs.

As soon as he was gone, everything changed. The kitchen was louder. Auntie started giggling at my dad's jokes, in eager chitchat. Sasuke was all over the table, whining for another slice of cake.

Sasuke _really_loved cheesecake. He already went through two slices, and looked longingly for the last slice, but knew that piece was not for him. So I was shocked when Itachi brought the slice reserved for himself to his little brother's plate.

"Hey, what gives? Don't you like this cake?" I asked Itachi, who was once again drinking his tea.

"Sasuke loves it more," Itachi said.

"He had two," I said. I believed in fairness.

"I know."

I pouted. "Itachi, there are no kindergarten teachers around for kilometers. The sharing rule won't get you brownie points here."

For the first time in a long time, I heard him laugh.

.

"So is there a reason for the visit?" Auntie asked my dad.

"In fact, yes. You see, this Saturday I have some important work to do, but Ayae told me she was invited to a Princess Fuun movie."

"Princess Fuun? That's a famous one. I remember seeing the first one a few years back," Aunt Mikoto said.

"I know. My wife and Ayae saw it with me too. The current actress is amazing, but I heard this would be her last movie before retiring."

"Oh my, I hope the series will not end if that happens."

The two went on talking, and I nudged Itachi. He looked tried. It had been a long day, and his eyelids lowered, before becoming wide and aware again.

I looked outside, and saw it was pitch dark outside. But my dad and Aunt Mikoto were too busy to realize. Sasuke was yawning besides me, too, playing with chopsticks.

"Brother Itachi, who is Princess Funn?" Sasuke asked, when he heard a little of the adult talk.

"I believe she is the heroine in the Princess Fuun movie and series," he replied, and gave a tired smile when his little brother looked in awe.

"Did you watch the first movie too?" I asked Itachi. "I liked the part when the group discovered the jewels at the cavern. Or when they had to defend against the assassins. Actually, I didn't like that part too much because I missed most of it. My mom made me close my eyes, and when I opened them, Princess Fuun's friend was gone."

Itachi looked like he understood none of it. "I… I have not seen the movie, so I am afraid I do not know what you are speaking of," he confessed.

My jaw dropped. Sasuke imitated me, and the chopsticks in his mouth fell to the ground.

"But, didn't your mom say she watched it…?"

"That's correct. Mother took a day off to enjoy the movie, and left Sasuke in the care of Old Aunt Uruchi."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you or Sasuke go?"

"Sasuke was too young."

"What about you? It was an awesome movie! How could you miss it?"

"I was busy that day," he said.

The boy was crazy. What could he be busy with? Oh wait, I should know this answer.

"Training?" I asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "Actually, no."

"Then what?"

"I was preparing for the Academy."

He was unbelievable.

"_School_? You were studying for school when school hadn't even started?" When he nodded, I slapped my face. This was _not_okay!

"Dude, you _have_to watch this movie with me, then. Not watching Princess Fuun will _not_do!"

"I want to watch too!" Sasuke intruded. "I want to watch!"

I heard Aunt Mikoto laugh. "You want to watch movie too, Sasuke?" She smiled, picking the toddler up and tickling his nose. "Well, maybe you can come too."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"OK."

Aunt Mikoto coveted her son for a while, before carrying him to his room. When she came back down, Aunt Mikoto turned to my dad and said she would be glad to take me to Ookiiranpu. "Is it at the famous FuwaFuwa Theatre?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Oh my, those tickets will be expensive then."

"Don't worry, as long we find Tamaki, we have free entry," I said, and then turned to Itachi.

However, I closed my mouth when I saw he was in a daze. Closer, I tilted my head and saw shadows under his eyes too. He looked super sleepy, but Aunt Mikoto was busy talking.

"Hey, you tired? You should go to bed," I said. He did not reply. "Itachi? Are you-"

He collapsed.

I gave a shriek.

Aunt Mikoto and my dad turned their heads, and rushed to my aid. I tried to pull Itachi up, but felt a sudden electric shocked to my hand.

"Itachi!" Aunt Mikoto bent to pick him up, but retracted her hand as well, feeling the same burning.

"Are you alright, honey? What happened?" my dad asked.

"I- I- don't know! He looked sleepy and then, he just fell!"

Aunt Mikoto tried to pick Itachi up again. I heard the crackles of electricity, but she ignored the shock and carried him to the couch. She then saw something that made her really mad.

To us, she said, "Itachi is tired, and I guess he was pushing himself to stay awake. Perhaps it's best that you and your daughter leave now, Kenta."

"Are you sure should we call the hospital?" my dad asked, concerned.

"It's fine. Itachi is just tired," she replied swiftly.

My dad was unconvinced.

"He's fine, Kenta." Mikoto smiled politely again, but she was lying. On Itachi's wrists was one of those bracelets, and Aunt Mikoto was trying to pry it off. My dad as confused as I was. Usually, when someone fainted, the last thing to do was to take off jewelry.

"Mikoto, if there is anything wrong, I insist that I help," my dad said.

Aunt Mikoto bit her lips. Any cheerfulness from dinner was gone. When the bracelet refused to budge, she gave up and told my dad, "Then please, stay here and watch my son. Don't touch him. I'm going to get his father."

I swore she cursed his name on her dash upstairs.

My dad grabbed my shoulders and pulled me close to him. "Are you okay, honey?" he asked me. I nodded, and he sighed. "This is my fault. I got carried away talking. I guess we overstayed our welcome."

The night was dark now. I stared at the sleeping boy on the couch and frowned. Even in his sleep, Itachi looked stressed. His breaths were shallow and uneven, and when I extended my hand closer to him, I felt the shock again. When my dad bent down to check his forehead for a fever, he retracted his hand, stunned. "What the-?"

Exactly my thoughts. I was frustrated with my helplessness, but I _knew _the problem had something to do with that weird bracelet. I just knew it! I tugged out of my dad's grip and knelt by Itachi's side to try and take off the bracelet. I felt that if I did, Itachi would wake up.

However, before I could touch him, a firmer and rougher hand gripped mine. "Do. Not. Touch."

Frightened, I stepped away the instant Itachi's father released me, and backed into my own dad. Aunt Mikoto shooed us out, toward the front door.

"I am very sorry for this. Please, come again some other time," Aunt Mikoto stressed, afraid that we would never come back again. Then she hurried back to the living room.

I stalled slipping on my shoes. Instead, I loitered behind and watched Itachi's father do something with his hands. The bracelet snapped into two harmless semi circles. Just like that time in the ballet studio, the bracelets fell to the floor with a heavy _thump_.

Yet, I was not electrocuted when I hugged Itachi back at the studio.

I sighed, and strapped on my sandals. My dad was already outside, ushering me to hurry. When I finished, I slid the front door shut.

Before the door closed, however, I caught a sight of Itachi's dad carrying him upstairs. He did not look happy, and he muttered one word.

I was not sure if I heard it right, but I did not stay any longer. My dad held me by his side as we walked. Meanwhile, my mind played that one word over and over again.

Weak.

.

Itachi was going. He was going, even if I had to drag him there myself.

"You. Are. GOING," I screamed, tugging on his arm. All my efforts had no effect at all. He weighed about as much as I do, so what was with the lack of _budging_?

"Please stop trying to dislocate my arm..." he sighed.

"Then go with us!" I yelled.

"Jeez, if she wants you to go, then go. I agree. When was the last time you ever did something fun?" Shisui said.

"It's Princess Fuun for crying out loud!" I was hysterical. "THE movie!"

"Oh, I saw that!" Shisui said. "The second one's out already?"

"SEE? Even _Shisui_'s seen it. You HAVE to come with us!"

Aunt Mikoto agreed to take me to Ookiiranpu along with her sons. _Sons_. Plural!

My friends had been thrilled to know that Itachi would be coming. They made that known by bleeding my ears off. Ginjiro did not look as happy, but he was glad I was going. We made plans to meet up a third of the way, where our roads crossed.

I invited Shisui, but he said no. "Sorry, police work." He told me something about an internship, but I did not understand.

Itachi though, had no excuse. "I am busy. And we have a spar this afternoon," Itachi excused, looking to his cousin.

"Err, now we don't! Have fun at the _movies._" Shisui put way too much emphasis on the word "movies." Then, he jumped on a tree and leaped out of sight.

In the kitchen, Aunt Mikoto was packing a backpack with food. When she was done, she picked Sasuke up and set him on the table. "Okay, now promise mommy. You are _always_going to stay next to me, Brother Itachi, or Sister Ayae, okay? No wandering off."

"Okay."

"Always?"

"Always."

"To who?"

"Mommy, Brother Itachi, Sister Ayae."

"Very good!"

I was still at the frame of the door, trying to tug Itachi outside. Itachi would have to face reality. He was going. His mom threatened that he would. And she threatened his dad too. Though, Itachi did not know until this morning, because when I told him, he went to his mother for confirmation.

Aunt Mikoto knelt down next to us. "You two ready? It's going to be a long walk."

"I'm good," I said.

"No food? Bathroom?"

"Nah."

"And you, Itachi? Feeling better?" she asked.

My eyes went to the bracelet at his wrist. Itachi was wearing it again. When I had asked him it, he would not tell me anything.

"I'm fine," Itachi told his mother.

"Are you sure?"

"If I say no, am I excused from going?"

He was fine.

Except for Sasuke, we all carried a backpack and set on out.

As soon as we left the Konoha gate, Sasuke ran on ahead.

"Hyper kid," I said, hiding the fact I was just as excited as he was. I could not believe how much forest there was outside, and looked at everything from the puddle below to the butterfly above.

Aunt Mikoto smiled. "Well, that means he's a healthy k- Sasuke! Stay away from that!"

Sasuke reached out to pull some plant on the ground, before his brother caught him and stopped him. When I passed by the plant myself, I laughed. I knew that plant. Good thing Sasuke did not touch, or we would be itching. Sasuke kept on walking ahead and Itachi followed closely behind. I stuck with Mikoto, saving my energy for my upcoming run.

We chatted some more as we walked. Finally, Aunt Mikoto pointed to two figures down the road. "Are those your friends, dear?"

I perked up.

"HEY! GIN!" I ran.

With Ginjiro was his older brother, since his parents worked all day, every day. But his older brother was free, and was exploring big cities for work anyway, so he had no problems taking Ginjiro to Ookiiranpu.

However, as our groups joined, Ginjiro's brother and Itachi stayed away from each other. I wished everyone would be friends, but would not happen. Sasuke also grew shy around strangers and went to his mother.

Meanwhile, Ginjiro and I were back to our running routine. We would pick a mark on the road and race there. Usually, person who called it first got there first, so we had no idea who was faster.

An hour of our running competition later, Itachi was far behind, by his mother.

"Hold on, let's wait for them," I breathed, hands on my knees.

"Yeah," Ginjiro gasped, leaning against a tree.

When Itachi was close enough, I rushed to his side. "Come on, I forgot to introduce!"

I led Itachi toward Ginjiro. "Ginjiro, this is Itachi. Itachi, Ginjiro."

There was a pause as the two looked at each other. I felt I made a stupid move.

Finally, Ginjiro scoffed. "I already know him."

"Well, not in person. Now you do!" I said. I knew I could not do anything about Ginjiro's brother, but I could still convince Ginjiro that Itachi was okay.

"Pleased to meet you," Itachi said. It was a start, though they never shook hands.

I waited, expecting some type of friendship to happen. They were both boys, after all, and boys usually befriended other boys.

Instead, Ginjiro decided to be bad. "Yeah, you might not know who I am, but I can't return that thought."

I wanted to bang my head against the tree.

"I know who you are," Itachi said politely, and I regained some hope.

"You do?" Ginjiro said, raising an eyebrow.

There was a tug on the corner of Itachi's lips. "Of course," he said. "You were Ayae's detention partner."

Itachi could not have used a worst tone if he tried. Ginjiro snarled, and I jumped between them before bad things happened. I rushed to tell Ginjiro that Itachi was only telling the truth. I did tell Itachi about detention, and I did bring up Ginjiro's name before. I told him Itachi did not mean to make fun of him in any way. Itachi's amused expression told me otherwise, so I shut Itachi up the nastiest glare I had.

Ginjiro was not happy that I had spoken to Itachi at all. "You never told me you were close with him."

"Itachi is my friend." I could not _lie_, especially not with Itachi right next to me. I would hurt his feelings. But Ginjiro did not like that.

"Since when?" he demanded.

I bit my lips, and shrunk inwards. Itachi was my friend before Ginjiro was. I did not want to say that.

In fact, I did not want to think more about this. I should not be feeling bad for making different friends. So, I planted my feet in the ground and said, "Gin, I like you. But I like Itachi too, even if he sometimes says mean things. He _is_nice, once you know him. So can we please be friends together?"

When that would not happen, I stomped on the ground, and angrily puffed my cheeks. "If we can't all be friends, I'll... I'll...!" My spirit deflated, and my voice broke. "I'll _cry_!"

Itachi and Ginjiro both reached toward me, froze, and then exchanged a helpless look.

Minutes later, I had a wide smile as I walked down the road, a boy in each arm.

.

"Mine!" Sasuke said.

I handed him the rice ball, and he munched happily.

I was glad for the lunch break.

After a morning of nonstop walking, I had been so tired. My backpack felt heavy. I thought my shoulders would fall off. But I did not complain, because no one else did. Ginjiro said nothing, only switched shoulders. Itachi walked like he was not carrying anything at all. Ginjiro saw, clenched his jaw, and walked _faster_.

Itachi had no problem keeping the speed. And every time they exchanged a glare, they would go faster. I wanted to _die_, but kept my mouth shut. Anything they could handle, I wanted to prove I could too.

Finally, _Sasuke_saved me. He started whining, and Aunt Mikoto suggested lunch.

Ginjiro's brother did not join us. He did not want to see the movie. He did want to get to Ookiiranpu early though, so he dropped Ginjiro with us.

I peeked into Ginjiro's backpack to see what he packed.

"Hey, what flavor are those?" I asked.

"I don't know. Mum packed these," Gin said. He took a bite of one of his rice balls and grimaced. "Fish, as usual."

"I'll trade! I've got bean."

"Gladly."

I tried one of his fish rice balls. "It's a little salty, but it's good!" I said.

"Tell me if it's _still_good after eating it every day of your life."

I shrugged, and took a few more from his box. He helped himself to mine. We exchanged drinks too, because he preferred my grape juice and I wanted his apple juice. Neither of us liked tea, so Itachi drank his.

"So what did Auntie make you?" I asked Itachi. His lunch had rice with cooked vegetables.

I ransacked my backpack to see what else my dad had packed. To my surprise, I felt a bottle at the bottom of the clutter.

Ketchup? What was my dad was thinking. Probably an accident. This morning, my dad had been scrambling, nervous about his big meeting. He even put the eggs in his coffee and drank it all.

"What's that?" Ginjiro asked.

"Ketchup," I said.

"What the heck is cat-sup?"

"Uh, it's like… smashed tomatoes," I said. "In a bottle," I added, shaking the bottle.

"Then why don't you call it that?"

I rolled my eyes. "Because _smashed-tomatoes-in-a-bottle_is so much easier to say than ketchup."

People of Konoha were so stupid when it came to food. Back in the capital, there were _all_sorts of strange and yummy foods from around the world! But here, my dad and I had spent two whole weeks searching stores for simple things like spaghetti noodles. Konoha had ramen noodles, udon noodles, soba noodles, bean noodles, and even rice noodles. But not the most basic noodle of them all: spaghetti noodles!

And when my dad told the store lady that we put things on our omelets, like mushrooms and peppers, she looked at us as if we were crazy. They _never _put anything on their omelets, except maybe rice or noodles. I thought_ she _was crazy.

"Can you really eat that?" Ginjiro asked.

What else? Smear yourself with it and pretend you are covered in blood to freak your parents out? Been there, done that.

I shuffled through my backpack and peeled off the lid of all of my food containers. But nothing needed ketchup. So, I convinced Ginjiro to put it on his food instead.

"Try it! Go!" I dared him and watched as he added ketchup to one of his rice balls.

"Are you sure you can eat this?" He looked unconvinced.

"Yes!" I urged. He actually _took a bite_, before spitting it out. I rolled on the floor, laughing.

"You set me up!" he yelled. "This tastes _nothing_like tomatoes."

"Because it's not tomatoes! It's ketchup! Say it with me, _ketchup_!"

"Ugh, I need to wash my mouth," he said, gurgling on grape juice.

Sasuke heard the commotion and hopped over. He took the rice ball dipped in ketchup and bit in, gleaming with joy. My jaw dropped. Sasuke really loved it. He even wanted more, and I reopened the cap to give him some tomato-in-a-bottle.

I had forgotten Itachi, so when I saw him eating his own food peacefully, a sly grin rolled across my face. I whispered to Ginjiro, who was more than happy to comply with my prank.

"Forget it," Itachi said, when we sneaked toward his food with the ketchup bottle. How did he know!

I unfroze and sat upright.

"Want ketchup?" I asked sheepishly.

"No, thank you."

"Are you sure? It's really good. Your brother liked it!"

"My brother has… exotic tastes in food," he said, closing his eyes and chewing on a piece of steamed vegetable.

"But-"

"And I don't," he finished, showing he had no intention of letting me put it in his food.

That did not stop me. With a nod from Ginjiro, we jumped into action. Ginjiro snatched Itachi's boxes, while I uncapped the ketchup bottle and fired.

The plan almost worked.

Almost.

Ginjiro ended up with hands the color of his hat. Itachi had swiped his lunch back and was now walking away with his food. A chopstick was brought to his mouth, as if there had been no interruption at all.

Itachi was no fun.

So, I held Ginjiro's hands and smeared ketchup on mine as well. Then we both chased after Itachi like zombies, trying to get him dirty with us. We ran in circles.

I tackled, and almost caught him, but Itachi slipped away. He even picked up some rice with his chopsticks while he dodged.

"Stop showing off, and come here!" I screamed, plunging into the earth. My face planted into the grass. I sighed, and rolled over. Ginjiro could not catch him either. Itachi was too fast, and just when we thought we got him, he poofed away.

"I give up!" Ginjiro collapsed next to me.

"Me too. Okay, okay we get it!" I yelled to the clouds above. "You win, Itachi!"

At that, Itachi appeared above me, peering down. The boxes of food in his hands were gone. He finished eating.

I groaned, squinting against the sunbeams. "You happy now?"

"Quite," Itachi said.

"Help me up?" I grumbled, shooting a hand up into the air. He took it.

I grinned. Gotcha. Before he could escape, I sprung up and locked him in place, smearing ketchup down his face with my hand. "Now!" I told Ginjiro. Ginjiro dived for the ketchup bottle and squirted it, covering me and Itachi in tomatoes.

Itachi won the battle, we won the war. I high-fived Ginjiro, and we did a victory dance.

"Clever," Itachi said, lifting a ketchup-stained bangs.

I thought Aunt Mikoto would scold us for our mess.

She did not.

I did not bring any napkins to clean up, so Aunt Mikoto gave me a towel. For a makeshift handkerchief, Itachi ripped the sack that held his ninja tools. Shuriken fell out, and I wondered why he brought them. It was not like we would get kidnapped by evil kidnappers that kidnapped people.

Sasuke crawled over. Curious, he brought a hand to Itachi's face and wiped some ketchup before putting it in his mouth. He _really _liked ketchup. Then, happy, he yawned and took a nap.

We set out walking again. Aunt Mikoto carried Sasuke, and we set out walking again.

One hour later, I realized how sticky ketchup was. Annoyed, I tried to dig dried ketchup out of my nails. Before long, the ketchup smelled awfully sour. I _reeked_. So when we saw a tea shop on our way, we rushed in.

The shop only had one bathroom though. We had to share one tiny sink.

Ginjiro and I bumped elbows, and slashed water at each other. Beside us, Aunt Mikoto damped a towel and wiped Sasuke. Itachi waited behind, and slid into a change of clothes.

The bathroom was too small, so after Ginjiro finished washing his hands, he left to give us room. Finished with Sasuke, Aunt Mikoto left too, to go thank the store owner and to buy some desserts. That left Itachi with me.

Itachi and I were the worst off. Not only was ketchup on our hands, faces, and hair, it stained our clothes too. I could wash my hair, but I could not scrub out the stains. My clothes had ugly orange patches, and clung to my body, wet.

"Would you like to change?" Itachi asked, noticing my frustration. He was done, wringing his hair.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I have another set of clean clothes," he said, nodding toward his backpack.

_Two_sets of clothes? I did not believe him until he showed me a scroll. In a puff of smoke, things came out, including a comb on top of folded clothes. I was in awe, and accepted the clothes.

Cross-dressing it was!

The clothes were ninja wear, but light. Since Itachi was my size, his shirt fit. I lifted the shirt for a smell and smiled. The awful sour smell was gone, replaced by something extremely nice. It smelled woody and sweet, like a flower.

The pants were okay too. The comb did not help much. My hair was too tangled, so I just used my fingers.

When I came out of the bathroom, I showed my new clothes to Aunt Mikoto.

"Well?" I asked.

She smiled but did not reply, cradling the sleeping Sasuke.

However, when Ginjiro saw me, he nearly dropped his newly purchased ice cream.

"Oh, _HECK NO_!"

I sighed.

By evening, we reached the city. Outside FuwaFuwa were Tamaki and Ayame. They sat on a bench, chatting and sharing ice pops and rice cookies.

"Hey! You made it!" Tamaki said. She skipped off the bench and ran to us. "Good evening, Mrs. Uchiha!" she said.

"Good evening. Are you Ayae's friend?"

"Yes! My name is Tamaki. Kobayashi Tamaki."

Aunt Mikoto looked surprised. "Your surname sounds familiar."

"Perhaps you know my husband." Tamaki's mother stepped out of the theatre, and she looked as dazzling as the first time. "He is the co-director of another movie called Nights Combat, ranking only second to Princess Fuun." She shook Aunt Mikoto's hand. "You must be Ayae's aunt. I am Tamaki's mother."

"You seem familiar as well," Aunt Mikoto said.

Tamaki's mother chuckled, and said she may have played a few roles here and there. The two mothers then left for the theatre. We kids remained outside.

"Dai and Setsu haven't arrived yet," Tamaki told me. Then, someone else caught her attention. "Oh, hello. Itachi, right? You might not remember me, but I was in your class last year."

"I remember," Itachi said. Tamaki's eyes sparkled. She led him to the benches and reintroduced Ayame.

Ginjiro and I exchanged a look and followed. Tamaki offered cookies to us. I took one, but Ginjiro was sick of sweets. Itachi declined as well.

The rest of the wait was chatting. My shirt got brought up. I said mine got stained by food. Ayame teased me when I told her it was Itachi's. Minutes later, she lifted the shirt up for a sniff too, and giggled.

At the other side of the bench, Tamaki was with Itachi. She would ask him things like how was his life after graduation. Her questions were strange, and she talked differently, like an adult. But Itachi talked like that too, so it was okay.

I was happy they got along. Since Tamaki had kept saying Itachi was a jerk, I feared she would react like Ginjiro.

When Dai and Setsu arrived, they carried a life-size bag of popcorn.

"Sorry we're late! Went to get some snacks," Dai said, pointing to the cartload of food by her dad. "Dango, anyone?"

At the mention of more sweets, Ginjiro excused himself to go puke. I helped myself to a bag of BBQ chips, while Ayame helped Dai's dad carry the humongous bag of popcorn.

In the theatre, we took the middle seats. Important people sat at the front, like Tamaki's mom and Aunt Mikoto.

Dai's dad looked over us. He was okay. He was funny and loud, not strict at all.

Choosing seats was like musical chairs. He could not see. She could reach the food. I wanted to sit over there. She wanted to sit by the aisle. She wanted to sit right smack in the center. It was chaos.

Finally, we split into two rows. In the front row were Ginjiro, me, Itachi, and Tamaki, in that order. The back row was Dai's dad, Dai, the popcorn, Setsu, and Ayame, in that order. Dai cradled the life-size bag of popcorn besides her, and it was convenient for me, because I just had to stick my hand behind me to grab some.

It was a good arrangement, because our snacks were in the middle. Dai was officially in charge of giving out food.

I was excited for the movie. We just had thirty more minutes to kill until it started. Ginjiro kicked his feet up and slipped his cap over his face. Dai argued with her dad that, no, he could have the popcorn next to him. Setsu bit into a plastic bag of shrimp crackers, unable to open it. Ayame offered to help Setsu. Tamaki and Itachi were talking.

And me? I realized that five minutes before the movie, I already finished my bag of BBQ chips.

.

"_Princess! Alert the village! The Princess has been captured. Quickly, we must..."_

"Hey, hey, pass the shrimp crackers?"

"Who stole my soda!"

"Why are you looking at me?"

"Shh…"

"It's over here."

"How can they be _that_stupid? They were followed since…"

"Oh. Thanks."

"Shh..."

"Get your hand out of the popcorn, _now_!"

"Can someone _please_pass the shrimp?"

"Hold your horses. Setsu, give him his crackers."

"Pst, Ayae, Ayae!"

My eyes were glued to the screen as I grabbed the bag of shrimp from Setsu and dropped it on Ginjiro, spilling pieces all over him. Meanwhile, my other hand dug into the bag of popcorn.

"You got shrimp over me!"

"Not like it's real shrimp."

"SHH! Hush!"

Our group shrunk as the annoyed audience glared at us.

I just vacuumed in popcorn, unaware of its taste in my mouth anymore.

"No! Don't go into the damn forest by yourself-!"

I slammed my eyes shut, and clapped my hands over my ears. I still heard thuds. I did not like thuds.

I squirmed in my seat, and decided to look away from the screen. Ginjiro was picking up shrimp from his lap. He kept saying he had to go to the bathroom, but never did, because the fighting started.

I turned to my other side. Itachi did not even blink when there was a scream. I buried myself into my hands. Tamaki was burying herself too, only into Itachi's arm.

Behind me, Dai's dad was slurping his drinks far too loudly. Dai was switching between chips, corn, and soda. Setsu was wide-eyed, hand searching for something to eat. Ayame was nervously biting into a pack of strawberry cookies. The popcorn slouched, drawf-sized.

When the fighting scene ended, Ginjiro darted to the bathroom. I happily went back to the movie again. Luckily, only the villains got hurt.

Ginjiro came back and asked me what he missed.

"They got a lead. Now, they're going south instead."

"Oh, okay. Where did the scar-face go?"

"He got away."

Throughout the show, Ginjiro and I whispered more. Dai did not lower her voice as she groaned and criticized. That earned us some more glares.

"That's one cool move. Think it's real?" Ginjiro asked me.

I leaned in and whispered, "Maybe. Looked real enough."

"That's what you said about everything."

"That's why the movie's _good_."

I was reaching for the popcorn again when an ambush onscreen made me jump. My hand flung up, scattering popcorn over everybody. Most of it landed on Setsu's lap. The bag would have fallen too, had Dai not caught it. Dai slapped my hand away, saying no more popcorn for me. She gave me sticks of squid, and pointed sharply up front. Gulping, I sunk back into my seat, squid in hand.

I shared a few sticks with Ginjiro, and then nudged Itachi.

"Hey, want some?" I asked. Itachi picked a piece of popcorn out of his hair and brought it to his lips. He shook his head, his eyes never leaving the screen.

I went back to the movie too. The princess was escaping with her comrades. There was a secret passage. More fighting. Romance - Dai and Setsu squealed together during the kiss.

The movie wrapped up nicely, and the princess and her friends were back together again. The credits rolled, and I let out a breath. That was good.

"That's it? WHERE'S THE WEDDING?" Dai shouted. Since the movie was over, the audience did not hush us anymore. A few even chuckled.

Beside me, Ginjiro stretch. On my other side, Itachi helped Tamaki up.

"That was good wasn't it?"

"She performed well."

"The actress?"

Itachi nodded.

Filing out, we winced at the sunlight.

The back row carried all the garbage outside. The life-sized bag of popcorn was deflated, mostly eaten by me. We shoved the empty boxes, plastic wraps, and other junk into the garbage cans. I patted myself clean of crumbs.

When Aunt Mikoto and Tamaki's mother came outside, they were like two best friends from school.

Tamaki's mother invited everyone to dinner at a restaurant. The other two adults agreed.

The restaurant we went to was nice. It was dim, with red lanterns and dragons. I felt out of place though, since other customers were in fancy suits or kimonos.

Since booths only seated up to four, everyone played musical chairs. The adults took one booth. Setsu and Ayame sat in one. Ginjiro and Dai joined them. I sat next to Tamaki. Across from us were Itachi and Sasuke. No matter what arrangement, Sasuke clung to his brother.

When a waitress asked what we would like, Tamaki ordered dishes and rice. After all those snacks, I was not hungry. But I got the tofu specialty, because Tamaki told me I just _had_to try. Sasuke said he wanted whatever Itachi wanted. Itachi ordered noodles for his little brother.

"He doesn't like tofu," Itachi said, when Tamaki suggested the tofu for Sasuke too.

When the waitress left, I realized that Itachi did not order anything for himself. "Itachi, what about you?" Tamaki asked before I could.

He said he was not hungry. I grew suspicious.

When the food came, Itachi became weird. He excused himself for the bathroom. Sasuke pouted and said he wanted to go too, but changed his mind when he saw plates of delicious food.

At Sasuke's pleas, I placed chicken on his bowl of noodles.

Tamaki turned to Sasuke. She played a game with him. She would ask him things about Itachi, and if Sasuke answered right, he got a point. Sasuke liked her game.

As much as I loved gossiping about Itachi, I was more worried about him. I was half a bowl down, and he was still gone.

I kept playing with my tofu, until I had enough. I said I had to go to the bathroom too. On my way, I bumped into a waiter. I asked him which way to the bathroom. The waiter pointed to a door in the back. I thanked him, scurrying over.

I opened the door to find a hallway. On one side of the hallway was the girl's bathroom and on the other side was the boy's bathroom. Pausing, I knocked on the boy's.

"Hey, Itachi? Are you in there? It's been a while."

No reply.

I knocked again.

"Itachi?"

Well, this was awkward.

I could not enter the _boy's_bathroom. But, I needed to know if he was inside. Maybe he was on his way back when I left, and I missed him.

A few knocks later, I considered going inside. Maybe just a peek...

I nearly tripped when the door opened. "Ayae?"

Itachi looked at me.

I backed up, my face red. "Sorry! You didn't come back for a while. I came to see if anything was wrong."

He looked at me carefully. "I apologize if I made you concerned."

"So you okay? If you're still sick…" I tilted my head. Maybe it was the lighting, but looked pale.

"I'm fine, Ayae," he said. I hesitated, but believed him.

We went back to our table. Sasuke clung to his brother. "You gone too long!"

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," Itachi said.

Meanwhile, I whispered to Tamaki. I told her Itachi had not eaten anything since lunch. She was shocked.

"But we had so much snacks! Was he being polite?" she frantically whispered back. "Maybe this is below his tastes..."

I glanced at my tofu chicken. You kidding? Had I not been so full, I would be scarfing these bowls down. I would even take home the leftover sauce.

Tamaki and I glanced over at Itachi, and then exchanged a look. We got a plan.

Tamaki ordered dishes for him to eat. And I stuffed them down his throat.

"Ooh, I bet you would love the fish here," Tamaki told Itachi, smiling. "Their salmon is good. Hey, mister, mister. Yeah, can we get the smoked salmon?"

"With the spicy sauce?" the waiter asked, handing me my glass of juice. The waited looked at the table. From end to end was the whole menu.

"Hm, Itachi, do you like spicy foods?" Tamaki asked.

"Please, this is too much."

"Don't worry, you can just taste it. If you don't like, you don't have to eat it," Tamaki reassured. Ignoring his objection, she turned to the waiter and said, "We'll have it with the sauce on the side."

Sasuke loved Tamaki's persistence. He grabbed a bite of each plate, spitting it out if he did not like it. But when he did, he took the plate for himself.

Itachi did not follow his brother's example. He had no appetite, settling for a bowl of rice. And past the tofu I gave him, he did not even touch any the plates that were beginning to stack up on each other. Tamaki just thought the dishes out as unsavory, and ordered a new one.

When the fish came, Sasuke and I both took a piece. Ginjiro came over and gawked at the food. Dai jumped over too, and started snatching whatever she could carry back to their table. Everyone loved what Tamaki ordered for Itachi. _Except Itachi_.

"Jeez! At our table, we only got sushi and buns," Ginjiro said. "What is this here? A buffet?"

I rolled my eyes. "Tamaki insisted."

"Can I join in? The girls there moved on to girl-talk."

"And here, we got Itachi-talk. Pleased to have you over," I said.

"I don't which is worse," Ginjiro said.

"Just eat the food," I said, offering him my seat. Before he could say no, I left.

I wandered to the adult's table and occupied the empty chair. They drank sake. I wrinkled my nose at the smell.

The adults were surprised by my sudden arrival.

"Don't mind me," I said, pretending to act adult-like.

Aunt Mikoto patted my head.

I listened to the adults talk. It was boring.

"Once again, I grateful."

"It is no problem for us. After all, with all the free time on our hands, especially after my daughter enrolled in the Academy."

Aunt Mikoto chuckled. "Well, I'm not out of the clear yet. I still have little Sasuke to take care of."

They went on. I looked instead of listened.

Tamaki's mother looked like she was wearing expensive things. The restaurant looked expensive too. Tamaki's family must be rich. Then again, Aunt Mikoto was rich too. Everyone in school would say how rich the Uchiha clan was. And Itachi's family, as the main family, was the richest.

"Your son seems to be growing up well and successful. My daughter told me that he is already a genin?" Tamaki's mother asked, interested.

"Really now? If only Dai has that kind of determination."

"Yes, he is. Sasuke also..."

Aunt Mikoto's voice faded off as I ran toward the hullabaloo of my friends. The sake smell became too much.

To my surprise, musical chairs happened again. Tamaki was now sitting next to Itachi. Setsu and Ayame were seated across.

Dai left, probably to the toilet. Sasuke and Ginjiro was at the 'girl's table,' still eating. Ginjiro got a plate of everything from the feast. Sasuke was picking at the sushi. I took a seat, making Ginjiro scoot over.

"So, my bro's waiting for me back at the FuwaFuwa place," Ginjiro said, in between mouthfuls of duck.

"Huh?"

He swallowed. "I have to go soon."

I pouted. After he finished his last plate, he patted his stomach and waved bye.

The next people to leave were me and my relatives. The rest of the girls stayed, saying they wanted to go to the Ookiiranpu market first.

"Aw, so soon?" Tamaki said, disappointed. I could not tell if she was talking to me or Itachi. In any case, we thanked everyone. Secretly, Aunt Mikoto paid for our bills. We ordered fifty plates, and that would be a big burden on any family.

It was late. Sasuke had fallen asleep again, and Itachi piggy-backed him all the way to the city gate. It was there Aunt Mikoto got us a carriage back home.

But even with the carriage, the travel took a long time. The sky got dark, and the bumps in the road were soothing once you got pass the sickness. Full, I grew sleepy myself.

Before I knew it, I was leaning on Itachi's shoulder and dosed off.

Next thing I knew, I woke up in the morning in my bed.


	6. Uchiha Arc: The Rise of Tension

Breakfast Monday morning was the same old, same old. My dad and I ate cereal. Frosted banana-nut, which was a needed change.

I reenacted the movie for my dad, jumping to the most exciting parts. I flailed my arms and did whatever noise I could imitate. Then I asked how his meeting went. He said something with funding. I nodded my head, pretending to understand.

Afterward, I set out for another day of school. I handed Itachi his clothes and thanked him again for it.

Shisui saw. "WHOA. What did I miss? I didn't know you two were like that!" He circled back and forth, examining me and Itachi up and down. He patted both our backs, and then said some things that made Itachi annoyed.

"Don't be so rash to jump to conclusions, cousin."

"Defensive," Shisui observed.

"Shisui, Ayae stained her clothes-"

"With what?"

"-and I offered her a spare."

"So you planned it."

"Shisui…" Itachi gave a look that could kill. I stepped back.

"So, you guys have a pleasurable time?" Shisui asked.

I smiled and nodded.

Shisui held back snickers. Before I knew it, Shisui was sent fifty feet up in the air by a fist. Itachi walked away.

Once Shisui crashed back down, I added, "Yeah, the movie was _amazing_! You should have come with us too!"

Shisui sighed. "Told ya, had stupid police work. What I miss?"

I summarized the movie to Shisui, placing a few exaggerations here and there. I left out the ending. I would not spoil it.

At school, a whole crowd gathered behind me to listen too. They asked so many questions that I did not even have time to finish my lunch.

However, I loved the attention. It was impossible to _not_brag that you watched a famous movie no one else did. My friends watched too, but none of them could the story the way I could. Dai just criticized. Setsu and Ayame only said it was good. Tamaki smirked and said they had to wait and watch it for themselves. I was the only one that fed the hungry audience.

I even managed to get Ginjiro to reenact a few scenes with me.

"So, yeah, blah blah blah, he and the gang then storms into the hideout and she meets him there. They talk blah, blah, blah, and then WOOSH, a knife comes between them and missed their face by like _that_much." I pinched my fingers together.

"It was more like _that_much." Ginjiro made his gap a little wider.

"Same difference," I said.

While we argued over how much _that_much was, lunch break was over. Everyone asked me to finish the rest tomorrow, and I happily nodded. Back at the classroom, the teacher droned on again. I was about to tune him out, until he said something I forgot about.

Report cards.

One by one, each of us were called to his desk. When I heard my name called, I went to his desk and got a big yellow envelope.

When I unwrapped the string around my envelope, I saw a few curious glances in my direction. Some even peered over my shoulder. "Whatcha get?"

I had no clue.

Inside the envelope were a few papers. The first was a note written by the old geezer. Even if I could read his handwriting, I would not understand. Only adults could understand, so I set that aside. The second slip got my attention, because on the top, in big bold letters, were the words _Ninja Application_. I was excited. I was 100 percent sure I would choose the ninja track.

The third slip was not a card, but a paper folded three times. I unfolded it. But before I could even read carefully, the people around me gasped. Murmurs spread from table to table.

Ignoring it, I squinted to see what I got. Surprisingly, it was not too bad. I ranked 7th in the class, and 38th in the grade.

Tamaki leaned over the table. "So what did you get?" she asked. I handed her my card.

"How about you?" I asked. She slipped her own sheet over. I was super surprised. Tamaki did amazingly! She was top 10 for our grade.

Dai snatched Tamaki's card from me. Dai raised an eyebrow. "First as always? Who said she was failing all trimester?"

Tamaki folded her arms. "I thought I was!"

"Uh-huh. Yeah. Totally."

Setsu and Ayame giggled. I asked to see theirs, and everyone exchanged cards. Dai ranked 53. Setsu placed 32. Ayame got 45.

After seeing everyone's, I relaxed. I did okay.

Oddly, the only person who was not happy with her grade was Tamaki. She started writing small notes on a pad, murmuring to herself about how to improve.

The rest of the girls laughed, as Dai snatched the notepad from her. "_Someone_needs to chill."

Meanwhile, a red cap appeared by my side. I yelped, almost falling off my seat.

Ginjiro had crawled over. "Word at the boy's table is that Uchiha girl didn't get perfect scores."

"I wish!" I moved aside, so he could share my seat.

He waved his report card in his hand. "So, what _did_you get?"

I eyed his report card, dying of curiosity. I held out my own. "What did _you_get?"

"I asked first."

"I asked second."

"Three?"

"Yup."

"One… two… THREE!" We exchanged them at the same time and rushed to unfold them. My eyes fell down to his ranking and…

…

"I WIN!" I shot my arms up in the air. I was 38, he was 39!

"Damn!"

I cheered, so happy that Setsu had to put her hand over my mouth. "Jeez, Ayae," she said, shifting her eyes over to the teacher. "Detention again, and you'll miss out on our end of the school year shopping."

Lowering my enthusiasm, I nodded furiously. Dai bounced in her seat, and they went to discuss what they were going to get at the market. Tamaki flipped over her notepad and joined in. She naturally took charge, and began picking out time for the meetings.

"So, Ayae," Ginjiro said. "You got the Ninja App right?"

"Yeah."

"You positive about ninja? What about your dad?"

"He'll be fine with it."

"Okay, good."

"Wait, what about you guys?" I thought and turned over to my friends. "Is everyone picking ninja?"

To my surprise, they all were.

"Of course," Tamaki said. "We stick together." She grinned and tucked her report away back in the yellow envelope. "Right, Ayae?"

Laughing, I replied, "Right."

Hopefully, next year, everything will be as great as this one.

.

"Extend. Do not be afraid to use your entire arm. Do not lock your elbow. Reach."

Ms. Hyuuga paced back and forth.

"Feel fluency in your movement. Feel as if a ribbon is being stringed, from your center to your shoulder to your fingertips."

She scanned carefully for flaws, harsh in criticism, yet gentle with encouragement and help.

"Posture. Be aware of your footing. You are twisting it." Ms. Hyuuga slid a girl's foot back.

"There. Remember, each movement should not have any strain. It's all about center and balance. Okay," Ms. Hyuuga clapped, "that's enough for today."

I stood up straight.

Ms. Hyuuga stepped next to Ms. Yuuhi. "I understand today is your last day."

Ms. Yuuhi smiled sadly. "I'm afraid so."

"We will all miss you terribly."

In the changing room, I finished dressing quickly. Then, I ran to Ms. Yuuhi before she could leave.

"Wait, Ms. Yuuhi?"

Ms. Yuuhi turned around. "How may I help you, Ayae?"

I pointed to the headband on her forehead. "Are you a ninja? A female ninja, right?"

"Oh, I see you noticed," she said, smiling. "Yes, I am." She asked me if there was anything she could do for me.

I did have any specific request. I just wanted to know what being a ninja was like. I told her that I would be going to third grade, and I want to become a female ninja. I also told her that I really looked up to her, and I thought her dancing was amazing. She had to stop me from blabbing on.

"I'd be happy to answer all your questions, Ayae. Whenever you are free, come to this place," she said, writing on a note. "I am usually training there."

I could not believe that she was willing to help me! I thanked her like a million times. "I'll see you then, Ms. Yuuhi?"

"Call me Kurenai."

"Okay, Kurenai!"

"See you." She waved.

I watched her leave, her wild hair swaying at her side. Then I put her note inside one of my notebooks so I would not lose it. I was serious on being a ninja, and Kurenai would help me.

After all, Ginjiro knew about ninja from his brother, but I knew nothing at all! I could not turn to Shisui or Itachi for help. The most Shisui did was hint about missions. Itachi did not even do that.

It was frustrating, because I wanted to be a part of the ninja life too. I wanted to be able to be with them, training and going on missions too!

When I stepped out of the changing room, I was surprised to see my dad was not there. Even more, Shisui and Itachi had not left yet.

"How'd I do?" I asked them, like every day.

"Okay. Oh, but guess what I found out."

"What?"

"You know that Yuuhi looks hotter when she's doing that dip-spin whatever?" he whistled.

My eye twitched. When people ask about how they did, they expect it to be about them! I sighed.

"Hey, why haven't you guys left yet? And what happened to my dad?" I asked, tiptoeing and seeing my dad nowhere outside. "He's supposed to be here by now."

Ms. Hyuuga left her office and saw the three of us were still in the studio. She was ready to lock up for the night, but when she saw that my dad did not show up yet, she got worried. She asked if she should take us home.

"Her dad's busy. We can walk her from here, thanks," Shisui said, grinning.

I looked at Shisui. He was hiding something. Itachi remained quiet, stealing a glance at the clock hanging on the wall.

As we walked home, I asked them, "Why's my dad not coming?"

"Oh, we got notice that his hands are tied today. We were sent to take you home," Shisui said. "Good thing we decided to go home for lunch or we wouldn't have known."

That made sense.

It was getting late. The night lamps glowed, and we had the road all to ourselves. The sun dropped through the horizon, and I could see a trance of the moon beginning to shine.

We passed the guards and the small shops. At an intersection, I waved my goodbye. My house was at the back of the district, while theirs were at the center.

Naturally, I got confused when they kept following me. "Huh? I can make it on my own from here."

"Our presence is requested as well," Itachi said.

"At my _house_?"

"You have visitors."

I did not understand until after I opened the front door.

"Dad, are you here? I-" I stopped.

In my living room filled was a crowd of our relatives, who were talking to my dad.

My dad beamed when he saw me. "Hey! Glad you made it back. Oh thanks, boys, for picking her up."

The man who was talking to my dad frowned. He did not like being interrupted. "I told you they were notified to pick your daughter up. However, she is almost at the age of eight. I see no reason as to why she cannot find her own way home."

My dad was not happy. "She's far too young, and so is Itachi here. I don't like them wandering around unsupervised. What if something happens to them?"

I gave a nervous glance to Shisui and Itachi, wondering what was with the sudden visit. I doubted my relatives were here for tea. Still, I knew better than to open my mouth this time. I should just go to my room.

"Um, should we go while you talk, dad?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. You kids have fun!"

I took off my shoes and ran to my room. Shisui and Itachi exchanged glances with each other and the grownups. One elder nodded, and they followed me.

Once inside, I slapped my face. There were clothes on the floor and on my bed. Lost homework and toys were scattered everywhere. It was a mess.

"Ah! Don't look!" I scrambled to pick things up from the rug and throw them into the closet.

"Hey, not as messy as mine," Shisui said, shrugging. "But seriously? This room is _pink_." He pointed to the wallpaper. My bedding was yellow, white, and pink as well. The rug was a deeper shade of red.

"What's wrong with pink?" I asked, tossing an unworn sweater under my bed. "Dad and I worked for _days_to get it to look pretty, and without mom's help too." Beneath the sweater was a future ball. I threw it over to Shisui. "Ooh! You guys should check that out. My dad made it!"

"What is it?"

"Okay, just ask a question about the future. Any yes or no question will do. Then shake the thing and it'll answer!" I said.

Shisui raised an eyebrow.

"Try it. It's fun!" I urged.

"Okay... Will I ever get a date from the lovely Ms. Yuuhi?"

He shook it. _Never in a million years_.

"What!" Shisui yelled. "Are you _sure_?" He shook it again.

_Not going to happen._

"No date?"

_Don't count on it._

"Will she go out with me?"

_The answer is no._

"What do you mean no?"

_Try asking again._

Shake.

_Ask again._

Shake.

_My sources still say no._

"This thing is always going to be no! Okay, how about this. Will I _not_get a date from Ms. Yuuhi?"

_It is certain!_

I laughed. "The future ball never lies, Shisui."

Shisui did not stop shaking the thing.

"Okay! No more future-balling for you," I exclaimed, grabbing the invention away from him. Itachi chuckled, so I offered him the ball. "Hey, you want to try?"

Instead of grabbing it, he pushed it back toward me. "No, thank you, Ayae."

"Don't you have a question you want to ask?"

He tilted his head. "I prefer my future to remain undecided."

Pouting, I put the ball on my desk and grabbed another shirt. I aimed for the laundry basket, but it went Itachi's way instead. He caught it.

"Oops! Put that in there will you?" I asked.

Itachi folded the shirt, and set it on top of the pile of dirty clothes.

He then put a hand on my wrist and said. "Let me take care of this."

I furrowed my eyebrows. But before I could say anything, he made blurry motions with his hands. Suddenly, there were two more people in my room that looked exactly like him. I thought I was going crazy.

The clones went to work, and uplifted the blankets off my bed. Shisui collapsed down on the mattress. "Squirt," he said, "just watch and learn how the ninjas do it."

I crossed my arms and huffed. Itachi and his clones _did_take care of it. Second by second, my room became uncluttered. The pile of clothes in the closet became stacks, organized by type and size and color. The bedding was replaced and made, after he forced Shisui's butt off it. I lifted the stack of papers he placed on my desk, and saw he even ordered it by _date_. I would never lose another homework sheet again! And it all took him less than a minute at most.

When his clones disappeared, my room was so clean, it was sparkling.

"Is this satisfactory?" Itachi asked.

I nodded, eyes wide. "You have to teach me how to do that!" I said.

"I can do that too," Shisui bragged, jumping back on my bed. "And that's nothing compared to some of the other things I can do."

"Shisui, you shouldn't be so reliant on your ninja abilities. Your room may appear tidy now, but the genjutsu will eventually dissipate."

"Whatever, dude. Not like your room isn't messy too."

"No. Ayae can confirm that."

Then, tilting his head, Itachi saw something off. I reached in the crack between my bed and the wall and found a book. He blinked. "_The Little Ninja_? Where did you get this, Ayae?" he asked.

I watched him flip through the pages. "You can borrow it if you like," I said. "Auntie already read it to me, so-"

He slammed the book shut. I was taken aback, when he shook his head and put the book on my desk.

"I did not enjoy it," he said. "I doubt my opinion will change with a second read."

"Really? But it's such a good book," I said.

"Sorry squirt, I hate it too." Shisui grimaced.

I frowned. I thought the book was wonderful. "Come on, guys. Maybe you just forgot the good parts. When did you read it?"

"That book was my birthday present when I was six," Shisui groaned. "Who gives their son a _book_for their birthday? Not to mention it was boring and the ending was horrible."

I was about to argue, when I heard a smash and my dad's voice. My eyes grew wide. My dad never, ever raised his voice. What was going on?

It was hard to tell what everyone downstairs was saying, so I cracked open my door and tiptoed downstairs.

Shisui whispered behind me, "Yo, don't think it's wise to eavesdrop."

"I do not think it matters," Itachi said.

I peeked. Every adult in the living room was standing up. A teacup was shattered on the ground, one of the expensive ones that my relatives gave us on our first day.

.

"Uchiha Shisui. Uchiha Itachi. Come here _now_," one of the elders commanded. I froze, wondering how he knew we were there.

Shisui and Itachi left my side. I did not know whether to follow them, or run back upstairs. No one called me, so I decided to remain hiding.

I crawled closer to the living room, my back against a wall so I would be out of sight. I peeked in and saw the boys were kneeling in front of my dad in respect. My dad did not look happy.

"This is unnecessary, and if I decide this is the best for my daughter, then that shall be it!"

I gulped. They were talking about me.

"And we do not approve of the current road you have set for her. There is _much_more potential than you are letting-"

"It's dangerous! As a parent, I am sure you understand the exact circumstances I am under."

"This is why there exist procedures, discipline, training, and supervision. It's a life lesson, not to mention an honor that is not privileged to many. If you do not trust us, let them tell you."

I heard Shisui's voice. "Please Mr. Kenta, we have spent enough time with your daughter to know she is strong-willed and capable." Shisui paused, and then went on. "I am aware the title is notorious, but you shouldn't- I mean, our teachers teach us techniques and rarely is any of our missions a threat to our well-being."

I had never heard Shisui talk so weirdly before. I stole another glance into the room, and then leaned back into the wall again. Should I walk in?

"And he is how old? What does he know about dangers? What will happen when he grows up and-"

"Mr. Kenta, I am afraid you are mistaken." I jumped. I _knew_that voice. "Age is irrelevant, and each will progress at their own rate. Take my own son for example."

My dad shook his head. "The key word is _son_. I won't let my daughter do the same."

"Females, I understand, are not as physically bodied, but they are required all the same. She may not have to be within the front lines, but there are other paths worth pursuing. I heard medicine is one practice-"

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that you plan to train my daughter to be a soldier, one who will constantly face violence and death. Police, maybe I can handle, but no, not this." My dad was angry, but he tried to keep his voice down.

He had no clue I could hear. I was confused though, and did not understand.

"Look me in the eyes and say that this path will not cross hers if I allow this," my dad said.

Itachi's dad sounded calm. "Tell me, Mr. Kenta. What else were you expecting when you arrived at a _military_state?"

The room got quiet. I thought this was my chance to go in, but then I heard Itachi speak up.

"Pardon me. I realize this is not my place to interrupt, but may I give an opinion?"

No one interrupted. Hesitatingly, but surely, he said, "After my observations, I believe Uchiha Ayae is not at all capable of becoming a ninja."

"Tch. The child has no idea what he's talking about-" someone said, before Itachi's dad silenced him.

"Go on. I do believe my son would know her best."

Itachi did. "Her skills to succeed in this field are below average. She has no potential for improving dramatically in the future. The influence of her past life at the capital has made an irrefutably negative impact on her, for she has neither experience nor familiarity with ninja life. Her bloodline is weak, if traceable at all. She has no self-control and extreme difficulties containing any emotion. Should the outside discover another Uchiha child, she would become targeted and be the weakness within our clan."

A pause. My heart was pounding.

"I believe, if Uchiha Ayae does indeed pursue the path of a ninja, she will either be slaughtered, or become an absolute disgrace."

And the room falls into silence.

I broke the silence with a punch against the wall.

Everyone in the room turned to me. I stood by the entryway, glaring at one person. "How can you say that, Itachi!" I yelled, holding back tears.

Itachi averted his gaze and stared at the floor, his hair hiding the rest of his face. His hands were clutched tightly into fists on his lap.

"Itachi!" I demanded. I hoped he would apologize, or tell me I got it wrong, or take his words back. But he did not.

I thought Itachi was my friend, but he just made fun of me in front of everyone. He just told everyone I was a loser. I felt so hurt.

"A-Ayae honey?" my dad stammered. "How long have you been listening?"

Itachi's dad looked unimpressed. "She has been there, Mr. Kenta." Then, to his son, "Now that you are done with your speech, son, tell me. Exactly who were you addressing? Me? The Clan? Mr. Kenta? Or this girl?"

Itachi said nothing, only looking at the floor, and the smashed teacup.

"Your answer is in your silence," Itachi's dad said, displeased. "Still, my son has brought up some good points. Don't you agree, Mr. Kenta?"

My dad furrowed his eyebrows. "I do not see the _good_you see." He was getting a headache.

"You wish for the protection of your daughter, correct? What better way than defending herself? Make her a ninja."

"There is no need! She does not have enemies!"

"Stop being so foolish! The minute you stepped into this estate, every enemy of the Uchiha became yours, whether you know them or not. Even at the capital, you are not safe. Nowhere is safe. And no one can be there to protect your precious _daughter_every single waking moment."

Itachi's dad knew just how to push buttons. My dad looked angry and worried. I got worried too. If anything, I had to make sure my dad was okay.

"Hey, if you're going to talk about me, aren't you going to ask what_I_think?" I said.

My dad looked up. "Ayae?"

"I- Dad, I want to be a ninja. I've wanted to tell you for a while now."

He sighed. "You weren't supposed to hear any of this. Honey, sweetie, you are too young to understand. Even I didn't understand at first."

"Dad, I _want_to be a ninja. Whatever I don't understand, _make me understand_."

"No, honey."

"_DAD_!" I stomped my foot. The porcelain on the floor jumped back to life, clicking against the floor.

"You are too young, Ayae! You're not _ready_to understand!"

"How do you know that? I know more than you think I do!"

"You-"

"I-"

"ENOUGH!"

There was a bellow. It was a new voice.

Standing up was a man with a wrinkled face and a hoarse voice. He was bent over, leaning against a cane. Still, he was dignified and towered above us all.

Each of us gave him his utmost respect. Everyone feared him, even Itachi's father. "I have had enough of this pitiful bickering. No, children do not decide. Girl, learn your place. Fugaku, control your son. I have never heard such impudence from him before. He is slipping. Kenta, I will allow your decision on what is best for your daughter, no matter how blinded it may be. However, if that is the case, our agreement is nullified and your loyalty is questioned. I can only hope you reconsider."

Without waiting for an answer, he tapped his cane and filed out. His word became law, and the rest of the Uchiha pursed their lips. There was no goodbye as everyone left. The only person who looked back was Shisui, who sent me apologetic smile. Itachi followed his father out, head down.

The living room was empty again except for me, my dad, and the teacup.

I sat on the couch next to my dad. "Dad, we need to talk."

Massaging the bridge of his nose, he nodded. He took off his glasses and sighed. "Yeah, sweetie… we do," he said, looking blankly at the lenses.

There was a silence. Neither of us knew how to begin the long discussion.

"I-"

"I think-"

"Oh, you first."

"No, you go, daddy."

A long sigh.

"How about we eat first?"

"Good idea."

.

It took a while, but my dad and I got on the same page.

I showed my dad the ninja application, and my report card. I told him I worked really hard, and ninja was something I really did want to be when I grow up.

My dad said that it was too early to decide. He said kids always want to be things when they grow up, but they always change their minds later on.

"What did you want to be when you grew up when you were little?" I asked.

"Me? Oh, a doctor."

"Why?"

"Well, it was a job that saved lives. I could do something that helped people."

"Then then why did you change your mind?"

Chuckling, he said, "As it turns out, I faint at the sight of blood. Now that would make me a bad doctor, won't it, ahaha!"

In the end, we decided to think it over more during break. My dad clearly did not want me to be a ninja, but I did. And mom had always told him to let me make my own choices in life, and mom's words were law.

That night, I stared at my ceiling and prayed to my mom. I talked to her until I fell asleep.

Morning was unpleasant. I did not even brush my teeth, because I woke up late. The walk to school had been miserable. Itachi did not meet my eyes at all. Because he refused to apologize, I refused to forgive him. Shisui, on the other hand, pestered me nonstop for the future ball.

It was the last day of school, and a half day. There was no work that day, only hugs and giddy jumps with friends. Tamaki purchased the table hairclips. I pinned mine to my hair, which was messed up as usual. Ginjiro tagged along after the bell rang.

"See you next year?" I said.

"Yeah. Come to my place anytime, okay?"

Grinning, he waved bye, and I watched him leave.

That left me alone in school. All my friends had gone home. But because it was a half day, Shisui and Itachi were still gone.

Since I did not have the key to my house, walking home was pointless. I debated whether or not to go to Aunt Mikoto's. I liked Aunt Mikoto, but I was scared of meeting Itachi's dad. My dad did not like him, and he did not like my dad.

As I wandered around the streets, I saw the orphanage. There were children eating outside. A few were running around in the yard. The door was open, so I slid in, unseen.

The place was crowded and chaotic. Most adults were busy feeding infants, or serving the food. I climbed up the stairs, nearly colliding with the little boys chasing each other down the steps.

At the top floor were bedrooms. Some had bunk beds; a few others had cribs. The kids there gave me curious looks. One girl pointed at me, as if to show I did not belong.

Finally, in the back, was the closed door. Inside was the toddler from my last visit to the orphanage. I tried to remember his name. Nabaki, Noramo...

"Naruto?" I asked. Instantly, his head jerked in my direction. His eyes were wide as usual. He pointed at me. "YOU!"

"Hi, Naruto."

"YOU! YOU!" He recognized me. I was surprised. It took about three visits before Sasuke recognized me. Naruto was really smart.

"YOU!"

"…"

"YOU!"

I take that back. Not _that_smart. "Yeah… me."

"YOU!" He pounded his head. Then, grinning widely, he said, "You Aya!"

I blinked. I take that back again. Naruto was smart.

When no one was looking, I sneaked the kid out. I was bored and lost, and so was he. Why not be bored together?

I brought him to the park. There, I learned he liked something weird. _Flowers_. I watched as he clumsily ran around in the field, in awe at wild flowers. I plucked a dandelion from the stem.

He gasped. "No!"

Giggling, I blew. The dandelion scattered in white dusty cloud. "It's okay, Naruto. They grow back." Springtime was coming. There would only be more.

Another puff. Naruto blew on a dandelion himself . His grin was contagious.

"My mom told me those are all seeds," I said, pointing to the white. "They grow into more dandelions."

I lied down. My fingers wrapped around a blade of grass. I gave a twirl, then plucked it out. I pulled out a few more blades of grass and did an old capital trick. I weaved the grass together. When I was done, I had a wreath. I placed it on Naruto's head like a crown. As soon as he reached to touch it, it fell lopsided on his head.

He was so cute. I did not have a little sister or brother, though I wanted one. Since Naruto liked me back, I decided to wandered the village together. I held his hand, as we walked through the streets. There were people everywhere, in crowds and mobs. I was not too hungry, but I caught Naruto looking up whenever someone passed by with food, so I took him to Ayame's. I had my allowance, enough to buy lunch or some snacks.

At the noodle shop, the stools were higher than him, so I scooped him up to my lap. I was not much bigger, and had to balance myself as he squirmed. There was two other customers, slurping their noodles, not minding us kids.

"Hey, it's you. Ayame's not here right now," Ayame's dad said, drying a dish. Then, he peered down. "Eh, and who's this?"

I nudged Naruto, and he looked up. "Naruto!"

Laughing, Ayame's dad shook his head. "Welcome to Ichiraku, Naruto! What can I make for you?" Hands at his side, he nodded up toward the menu behind him.

"One miso ramen," I ordered. Then, "Err, small please."

"No problem!"

I peeked over the wooden counter, to see how the man prepared the miso soup and how his assistants stretched the noodles. Naruto constantly reached to grab something, so I handed him a pair of chopsticks to toy with.

When our bowl was served, I clapped my hands together, and then dug in. Naruto copied me.

He liked it.

_A lot._

Before I could slurp another noodle, he was gobbling down the whole bowl, splashing soup everywhere. I did not brother eating any more. He hogged the bowl and ate it all.

Seconds later, he finished the last drop of soup and looked at me. I sighed, and ordered another bowl. He finished that too. I started wondering if I should be giving ramen in the first place. Aunt Mikoto was cautious of what Sasuke ate because of his age.

After the third bowl, I was out of allowance. My eye twitched at the single coin left in my wallet. Huffing, I set Naruto down. "Naruto, you owe me big!"

He grinned, soup on his cheeks.

We toured Konoha some more. I was scared to wander off too far, so I stuck to streets I already knew. We spent the day window-shopping. Naruto would point to things, and I would tell him what the thing was called. Like a naming game.

I learned that Naruto could not talk well. Sasuke would stumble on words, but he could say full sentences. Sasuke could walk better too, while Naruto tripped over a lot even holding my hand. I was worried Naruto would cry after the first fall, but he whined at most. Then, as if he forgot, he would pick himself up and walk with more energy.

In one gift shop, I pulled down the arm of the fortune cat. The arm swung up and down, and the trinket began meowing. It was so cute. I wished I had the money to buy it.

"This is a cat. Cat," I told Naruto.

"Caa," Naruto said.

"CaT."

"Caaaz."

"Close en-"

I was cut off by a shriek. A very, _very_nasty shriek. "_There you are_!"

I got shivers up my spine, and dared to turn around. A woman and a man were behind me. Before I knew it, the woman grabbed a struggling Naruto. The man, the shopkeeper, crossed his arms. "So you found him, ma'am?"

"Yes. You can't _believe_the amount of trouble I had. I spent the afternoon looking for him! Countless hours! How dare he run away after all that I have done for him!" the woman ranted on. She was a plump lady, with her graying hair bound in a tight knot on the top of her head. She looked familiar.

It took a while for me to remember. She was the caretaker of the orphanage.

"Um…"

"What?" She faced me sharply. She squinted. "Have I seen you before, girl?"

I shrunk. "Uh, I, um, went to the orphanage before. With my dad, we gave some toys and stuff…"

She narrowed her eyes some more, then widened them. "My! I remember you! What's your name, again, honey?" she said, voice too sweet.

I did not want to tell her. "Ayae," I mumbled.

"Oh! Right, right. Of course," she said, smiling. "Little miss _Uchiha_Ayae, am I not correct?"

"Yes," I said.

Thankfully, the shopkeeper muttered, "That's nice," and tried to rush the lady of out the door. The shopkeeper did not want attention in his shop. That broke the lady out of her trance on me, and she huffed.

She looked at Naruto.

"Don't you dare run away again you little monster," she seethed. "I wasted my day asking people in the village to find you. The humiliation!"

Naruto looked scared, and I felt guilty. "Wait!" I jumped in, before the lady could leave. "I took Naruto out to play. I-I should have asked, and I didn't think we would be out this long. I'm really sorry!"

The lady once again narrowed her eyes down to a squint. "Well, don't take this boy out again, little missy," she said harshly. Then, she added in a sugary voice, "But really, feel free to visit anytime with your father. It would be a pleasure to greet your clansmen again."

When Naruto whined, she knocked him in the head and dragged him out by force. I winced. "Bye, Naruto?"

He looked back with those blue eyes, and then he was gone.

That left the shopkeeper. "If you are not going to buy anything, I suggest you leave as well, little girl."

He went back to his counter, to my relief. I put the fortune cat back on the shelf, and glanced at the clock. It was ten minutes to four. I planned on going back to school before three.

I was so dead.

"You could have told us."

So dead, so dead, so dead.

I turned around. Oh yeah, did I mention I was dead?

"Heey. Itachi. How's your, um… Did I mention today was a half day?"

"No," he said. I winced.

"You found her?" Shisui appeared in the shop with us. He collapsed against the shelves of trinkets. "Thank _gods_!"

"Hi," I said, biting my lips. Can I run away now? Shisui looked like he was about to explode. And he did.

"Hi… _HI_?! YOU LITTLE PIPSQUEAK BRAT. COME HERE, COME HERE NOW SO I CAN STRANGLE YOU," he yelled. "We searched the ENTIRE damn village for you! Do. You. Know. How. BIG. This. Village. Is?"

"Yes," I said, my voice small.

"WELL? WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF, YOUNG LADY?"

"I… forgot. Today was a half day."

"Yeah, uh-huh, we figured that out, say, oh, an _hour_ago."

"Sorry?"

"You are _dead_, squirt. I suggest you run," he said, cracking his knuckles.

"Eep." I grabbed Itachi and used him as a shield.

"Oh, by the way, Itachi is angrier than I am."

Time to run!

They chased me for six blocks. I ran six endless blocks with two angry ninjas on my tail.


	7. Academy Arc: Gateway to Ninja

The break was over. The whole time, I fooled around with Ginjiro in the parks, and mapped Konoha with my dad.

The village was full of tourists, merchants, and clients. Ginjiro told me actual residents made about half the people, yet that number was going up since Konoha was peaceful again. I learned Konoha was not always like this. Ginjiro told me there was a war years back. His brother would tell him scary stories of how there were these "lockdown-drills" in school.

I did not believe him. I did not remember giant armies in the capital. Wars were history, like in the history textbooks I never read. Ginjiro made a lot of nonsense up. Just like that nonsense he told me about this monster dog thing three years ago.

Before I knew it, school started again. _Ninja_school started. My dad had said yes, _but_, should I change my mind about ninja, my dad would put me in normal school. This was a "test trial" and I had one chance to prove to him that I was right.

I thought my relatives would be happy about our decision. They could not care less. The auntie and uncle who owned the desert shop were happy for me though, and gave me a motivational speech.

On the morning of the first day of school, I packed my backpack: one lunch, one notebook, pencil and pencil case.

Once in the kitchen, I nibbled on toast like a jittery mouse. I was nervous. After all, everything would be different. Even my _Shisui-Itachi express rides_were canceled. The clan thought I needed to start walking alone, and went on and on about _independence_and _character_. I think it was because I was embarrassing them, because after their giant speech, my dad told me, "Honey, ignore them. They just think you're embarrassing them."

So, I was surprised when I heard a knock.

Shisui's head popped in, and he sniffed the air like a dog. "Do I smell toast?"

"Shisui!" I jumped off my chair, and ran to the door. "What are you doing here?" Itachi was here too.

"We came to drop these off for you, squirt," said Shisui. From his backpack, he took out a scroll and tossed it to me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"School supplies."

"School supplies?" I frowned. "But I already packed my own."

Shisui raised an eyebrow. "Like what? A notebook and pencil?"

"And a pencil case!"

Shisui exchanged a look with Itachi, before he cracked up and laughed uncontrollably. "Oh, you're going to be the death of my spleen."

"I should have packed a pen too, shouldn't I?" I said, deadpanned.

Shisui fell on the ground, rolling.

I tapped my foot, and looked at my naked wrist, waiting for him to stop. Five minutes later, Shisui calmed down, and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Squirt, trust me, in the scroll is what you _really_need."

I eyed the scroll, then unzipped my backpack to chuck it in. If a scroll was all I needed, then being a ninja was easy! No writing, no books, nothing!

"Thanks!"

"Don't look at me. Itachi prepared it for you."

"Itachi?" I looked to him, in disbelief. From what I understood, he thought I would _suck _as a ninja. I thought he would be the last person to help me. Suddenly, I grew hopeful that maybe Itachi had a change of heart over break.

Itachi avoided my gaze and turned toward the road. "We should be leaving."

"Yep. Come on, squirt. You're going to be late."

When I did not move, they stopped and turned to me, waiting.

"You guys aren't supposed to walk me there anymore," I said. "The clan said so."

A silence, before Itachi said, "There is a difference between an escort, and two independent parties coinciding on the paths to their respective destinations."

I blinked.

"In other words," Shisui translated. "Who cares what the clan says!"

I liked that one.

When I reached the school, everything was crazy. Children were scrambling everywhere. Parents were hushing crying children. Some kids were doing target practices. Older kids ganged with the older, younger with the younger. I ran around, and found a few of my old classmates, but not my friends. I grew nervous, because the doors were locked, and I had no clue what I should to do.

So when I caught the sight of two pigtails, I _ran_. Tamaki was sitting next to Ayame under a tree. They chatted, a box of deserts shared between them.

"Tamaki! Ayame!"

They greeted me, and calmed my hysterics. Ayame handed me a dango, while Tamaki told me that the doors would not be opened until school officially started. We were still early.

Since we had time, Tamaki also told me how everything worked.

She told me that a long time ago, kids either went to the Academy to be a ninja, or one of the normal schools. Transferring was rare, since if you came from a ninja family, you would be a ninja, and if you came from a normal family, you would not. However, after some of the normal schools got destroyed, their classrooms could not fit all the kids from normal families anymore. So the Academy took the first and second year kids from the normal school, and put them with the first and second year kids from the Academy. Everyone learned the same stuff anyway, like math, history, geography, and writing.

But after kids from normal families started hanging out with those from ninja families, things got weird. Every now and then, a kid from a normal family could do better ninja things than a kid from a clan. So the school decided to let people decide what track to do their third year. If they picked the normal track, they would leave for a normal school. If they picked the ninja track, they would remain at the Academy. Some traditions remained the same though, and kids from clans got a _matriculationceremony_before the start of their first year.

Before I could ask any more, a siren sounded.

"What is that!" I asked.

"It's just to alert everyone that school is starting, and to go to those fields!" Tamaki yelled.

"Okay!'

_"What?"_

"I SAID OKAY!"

"GOOD! Follow me!" Tamaki said, beckoning us. I stuck to her and Ayame like glue. As we ran, the third years gathered to the fields. Upperclassmen started lining up in neat rows and columns. Meanwhile, the younger children stayed in the front.

Three kids ran up to us. Ginjiro was up front, while Dai and Setsu were behind. All of them were red-faced and gasping for breath.

When Ginjiro reached us, he fell on the grass. "Can't… believe… I finally… get… spot. Been waiting… forever since I first… since first grade…"

The girls caught up, latching onto each other. "We ran for one and a half blocks!" Setsu cried. "We heard the noise, and we thought we were so late!"

Soon, the teachers told us to line up. There was a scary man with a bandaged face, who had a clipboard and was in charge of giving us the number of our classroom. I crossed my fingers, hoping that I'd be in the same class as my friends.

Dai and Setsu both got placed into class 34A, much to their joy.

"Name?"

"Ichiraku, sir."

"Ichiraku Ayame. 37B."

Ayame looked disappointed at being separated from her friends, but was not too upset.

"Name?"

"Kobayashi."

"Kobayashi Tamaki. 37B."

Now, our group was officially split into two.

"Name?"

"Uchiha."

The man glanced up from his paper, looked at me, and then went back to the clipboard.

"Uchiha Ayae. 37B."

Ginjiro was placed in 35A. He mumbled, "It ain't that bad. We can still meet at lunch."

"Yeah, guys! Cheer up. The classes meet each other a _lot_that it's like one huge class most of the time," Tamaki said.

The bell rang, and the building unlocked. Students flooded into the hallways, searching for their rooms. I followed Tamaki and Ayame, and found our room in no time. Tamaki slid open the door.

When I entered, my eyes went wide. The room was so different than our classroom for second year. It looked just like room 89, the humongous upperclassmen room. There were smooth tables, all lined up in rising columns, each so wide and tall that I could barely see above them. The seats were long benches that all faced front, which had a podium and desk for the teacher. Posters hanged on the walls, showing complicated diagrams. The ninja code hung in the front.

No more round tables. No more pull out chairs.

Tamaki led the way, going immediately for the table by the window, the same position as in room 16. She claimed a seat, Ayame slid next to her, and I joined them by taking the third the aisle seat. Just as I thought I could start getting used to this new place, the chatter in the room came to a halt.

The door slid opened, and then slammed closed. It was the teacher.

When he banged his books down on the desk, I nearly jumped. The teacher was old, if not older than my last teacher, and he did _not_look friendly. He looked strict, wound up, and _crazy_.

"Arright! 'Nough talking! You there! Take a seat!" he yelled, pointing to a bunch of girls. They squeaked and jumped to sit in the nearest seats. "NO! Three at a table! You and you there too! No crowding! Three at a table, how many times yer gunna make me say it? And take ones toward the front!" He leaned in, and his face jutted out to stare at each and every one of us, squinting.

After his yelling, I doubted _anyone_wanted to sit near the front. I was scared senseless. He had a lazy eye that _eyeballed _us.

To my surprise, the door slid open and closed again. A second man came through the door. He was also carrying a load of books. But he did not slam his down on the table, and looked incredulously at the teacher.

"Pops! How many times do I have to tell you, you are _not _the teacher anymore! I am! Come on, old man." Our _real _teacher laughed nervously to the class while he pushed his delusional old father out of the room.

The class did a sweat-drop.

Once the door was shut. Our teacher took his place at the podium. He had round cheeks, and a shaven beard in the shape of a triangle. But more importantly, he had a nice smile that made him look friendly.

"What a bunch of new faces! Hello! My name is Funeno Daikoku! Refer to me as Teacher Funeno. Now let's crack open those books, shall we?"

.

Teacher Funeno read the last name off his list. "Uchiha Ayae."

I raised my hand. "Here."

"Uchiha? Did I read that right? My! Third Uchiha in last two years I've had now!" he said, shaking his head. "Why don't you sit here, Ayae?" He pointed to the empty seat in the middle table.

I did not want to move, but did.

Tamaki was irritated by the arranged seats. She liked her seat by the window, and now she was stuck in the front. However, she beamed when she learned I would be sitting behind her.

Next to me was another girl, who had a ponytail and a black tank top. She nodded to me. I smiled. She would be my new desk partner, and she looked friendly enough. Next to her was a boy, who glanced my way.

The rest of the class was not as nice. When the teacher called my name, I got daggers from everyone. It reminded me of the first day of second grade again.

I copied my desk partner and looked at the teacher. He was discussing books we needed to read.

"… and a copy of starter's edition of _Konoha, the History_. Oh, and this is not on the list, but I recommend telling your parents to get _Weapons and Techniques_as well. It's going to help us thorough the course. Now, show me which books each of your parents got, and I'll tell you if it is the right edition."

The class muttered, and I heard backpacks unzipped and unbuckled.

I panicked. I did not bring any books. I did not know we had bring books at all, since we hardly used any last year. Next to me, the girl was stacking book after book on the table. Each was about four centimeters thick. She got out a sack and dumped out shuriken too. Real ones.

I squirmed, and decided to dig through my own backpack too, so I would not awkwardly sit there and look stupid.

That was when I saw the scroll.

The teacher walked around, telling Tamaki how she had the wrong book.

"Oh, my mom must have gotten it at a different town. We could not find it at the bookstore here in Konoha. They were sold out," Tamaki said.

The teacher told her to not worry. Then, he moved to our table. He talked to the boy at the other end first. He did not bring much except for paper, and two out of the seven books. Then the girl. He pointed to the shuriken and said those would not be needed for now.

He went on about differences in book editions, since all of the ones the girl had were older editions. He took his time too, and then went off something about meeting the girl's mother and needing to thank her for treating his dog. I needed that stall, because my scroll refused to freaking _open_. I pried and pulled and even thought of using my teeth. I banged the thing against my head before I sighed and gave up.

But then, I accidentally brushed my finger against the side. Instantly, the scroll rolled _wide_open. There was smoke, but when it cleared, my jaw dropped.

"Holy!" the teacher exclaimed, his hand going to his headband.

In front of me, on top of the scroll were… _books_.

There were textbooks, piled by edition and year. There were kunai and shuriken, new and shined and in piles by size, grip, type, blade, and handle. There was paper bound together into a notebook. There was a recording log and a journal. There was a set of writing utensils, including a brush and bottles of ink, black and red. There were scrolls wrapped in ribbons, labeled things like _chakra chart_, _elemental table_, and _jutsu variation_, each done in Itachi's perfect handwriting.

I was flabbergasted.

So was the teacher. "My! My! This is outstanding! Remarkable! _Someone_came prepared!"

I grew red as the teacher showered more compliments my way. He even said how it must be in my blood, to be so exceptional and dedicated to becoming a ninja. By that point, I had shrunk in my seat, my whole face burning red. I could not tell him that _Itachi_did all this. Especially not when the class was listening. And glaring. Even Tamaki looked jealous.

The teacher was still fawning over the supplies. Finally, he told me to keep up the _outstanding_job and turned his attention to the rest of the class. "Everyone should follow this fine example!" he declared, arms wide.

Just kill me now.

As soon as the teacher moved on, I rushed to get all this stuff out of my face. But no matter what I did, I could not get the scroll to roll back up.

Then, I saw a note next to the kunai. 'After use, tap the base twice.'

The base? What was a base? I tapped every last centimeter of the scroll like an idiot, until I tried the ends of the scrolls. Instantly, the scroll rolled and sealed again, all the supplies gone in a poof.

I heard a scowl from behind. "Show off."

Turning around, I gave the boy the meanest look I could muster, and then faced the front again. I pretended I could not hear him from then on.

"All of you were excellent!" said the teacher. "The majority had done well. For those who had forgotten this time, do not worry, because today, we will not need anything. In fact, we will begin with an introductory exercise. To begin, give everyone at your table your name and two things about you. In ten minutes, your tablemates will be the ones introducing YOU to the class!"

With that, he let us go ahead and talk.

I turned to the boy and girl at my table.

"I'll start," said the girl. "My name is Hana. You are Minoji, and you are Ayae, right? As for about me, for one, I love dogs. Basically, my family is a whole clan of dog-lovers. You probably already know that. Also, my goal is to be a future vet."

The boy spoke up next. "Like you said, I'm Minoji. Two things about me... Well, my favorite animal is the squirrel, because they are just awesome. And I don't really have a goal, but I think it'd be cool if I can become the first person to survive only on nuts."

Then, both turned to me and I blabbered whatever went through my mind at that moment. "Yeah, I'm Ayae. I'm more of a cat person, I guess. And um... I don't know about nuts, but I like ice cream a lot. Especially chocolate ice cream."

That killed two minutes. For the rest of the time, we did not speak to each other. In the back of the room was Ayame, who was befriending the girl and boy at her table. In front of me, Tamaki was exchanging stories of her summer with two boys.

"Hey, you mind telling me how you did that trick earlier?" the boy named Minoji finally asked me.

"Trick?" I asked.

"With the scroll."

I was about to tell him that I did not know, when the girl named Hana spoke.

"It's a summoning scroll," she said. "It's fairly easy. Just write down the right symbols on the paper, and then put in chakra to seal away the items you want. Then, when you want it back, open the scroll again and take out the chakra."

"That sounds cool. Can I buy one of these and do it myself then?"

Hana frowned. "They cost a lot, and it's easy to mess up since you are writing in ink. And you also must be able to use chakra well."

"I'm confused. What's chatora?" I asked.

"Cha…?"

"Tora…?"

My deskmates looked at me, bewildered.

"What?" I asked.

"_Aye_," Hana said, scratching her head. "You mean _chakra_."

I blinked. "Yeah, that."

The teacher popped in, with a big smile. "Oh ho! Already discussing chakra now are we? Never seen such enthusiastic students. Alright! Table three. Let's see what you learned about each other!"

The boy introduced the girl. The girl introduced me. And I told the class about the boy's nut obsession.

The rest of the morning was a question and answer session.

"Teacher Funeno, are we ever going to learn the duplication technique?" one kid asked.

"Ah, that question is always asked every year. I'm sorry to say not this year. It and the transformation technique are both advanced, and they have been pushed back so all of you will learn it in two years, maybe three. It'll take practice!"

"Teacher, what about the enshrouding technique?"

"Yes! The cloak of invisibility technique is one we will cover very soon! In fact, we'll try to start it at the end of next week! Yes?"

"Teacher! Teacher! What about hand signs?"

"That will begin second curriculum!"

"Teacher, what is a makibishi?"

"A makibishi is pretty much a tack that you throw on the ground. It's an ingenious design. I mean, how are you going to chase after someone when the floor is littered with sharp spikes? Ah, we did talk more of those later this year as well!"

I did not know anything that the students are asking, but they all sounded _amazing_. I could not keep still as they talked about the coolest stuff ever. Becoming invisible. Moving at super-fast speeds. Creating clones.

I could not believe I _almost_missed out on all this.

.

"How was it?" Itachi asked.

I banged his head with the scroll. "Itachi! You did that on purpose, didn't you!"

"Did what?" he asked innocently.

"You know what! Your scroll embarrassed me in front of the class!"

"Embarrassment is that easy?"

"YES!" I said, smacking him with the scroll again. Turning to Shisui, who was in another laughing fit of his, I glared. "You were in on this weren't you? Weren't you!"

Shisui pushed air with his palms. "Hey, hey! We Uchiha have a reputation to uphold!"

I glared harder.

I hated their prank, but I had to thank them for the supplies. They were costly, and my dad could not afford that. Itachi taught me how to use the scroll, which was a brush around the seal to open, and two taps at the edge to close.

Ninja school was hard. Teacher Funeno was nice, but I had no clue what he said half the time. I had to poke Hana each break and ask for help. I read a lot of textbooks too. Every night, the homework got heavier and heavier. There was a lot of writing that made me miss my coloring worksheets.

But then I learned something unfair. I got the toughest of all the third year teachers. When I compared notes with Ginjiro, I learned that his homework was easy. Lucky!

Second week in, I cracked open the textbooks Itachi gave me. In my bedroom, I set the scroll on my desk and brushed the seal. When the scroll unraveled, I grew curious and reached for a kunai instead of a textbook. But if my hand went close to the weapons, I would get a shock. The books were safe to touch though, and I picked up _Beginner's Ninja Training: Grade One_. We were supposed to read four pages on our first ninja topic: stealth.

"Lesson One," I read. "Stealth. The key to being a ninja, and not a samurai, is stealth. Stealthy is to be sneaky and hide so another person would not know the ninja is there. To become stealthy, one must get rid of all hints of the ninja being there, or to cover their pre-sence. Senses. To understand, one needs to know the five senses. They are to see, to hear, to touch, to smell, and to taste. When seeing…"

The passages went on. The pictures were amusing, one showing of a stick figure holding up a big blanket. Another showed pictures of clothing, some with a check mark, and some with a big X over them. Then, I flipped to the page at the end of the chapter and found there was scribbling.

'_Eliminate traces of existence to targeted enemy. Disguise stimuli; faculties derived to stable equilibrium with environment_.'

I could tell that was not part of the textbook, since it was handwritten in ink. I squinted and realized that I had no clue what any of the words meant. Or if they were words at all. The handwriting was Itachi's though.

That was when I remembered I was using Itachi's old school supplies. So he must have once read this exact textbook.

Flipping through more pages, I saw there was more scribbling. On one page, there was a big line crossed over the print.

'_Discard information. Properties supplemented by chakra suppression_.'

More one-liners. Some labeling pictures, some drawing new ones, some notes.

None of which I could understand. Sighing, I finished my passage and began reading _Konoha, the History_. This book was boring, but I forced myself through it. Itachi had written in the history book even more than on than the ninja book. I felt my eye twitch. Still, beggars could not be choosers.

In class, I liked the lectures and demonstrations, but loved the performances. For example, our first technique of the year was on cloaking. Teacher Funeno made us each stand next to a wall and cover ourselves with a cloth. The cloth had a picture of the wall, and tada! We were invisible!

It sounded cooler when he said it.

Anyway, I was the first one called, since he liked to pick me. He handed me the cloth, and I tried to hold up the cloth without shaking. I did a good job, because he began congratulating me on my excellence. Even though cloaking looked simple, there were ways to mess up. Some kids held the cloth the wrong way or had their hands and feet showing, so the class would snicker.

By the end of the first month, we had a pop quiz. It was five questions on what we learned so far. It was _then_that I started taking the class seriously. The quiz was killer. Tamaki, Hana, and the brat behind me were the only ones who passed. And they _barely_passed. When we complained, the teacher gave us an enthusiastic speech on ninja lesson number 31! Expect the unexpected! Which got a few groans from the class.

The only thing that could be worse than the quizzes was the math. I hated the problem sets. I hated the drills. We were expected to answer what 315 times 21.7 is in a second flat. We were given pictures and had to know how many kilometers long the road is, or exactly how many people are in crowd. After every math class, I was so embarrassed, and studied day and night to be better at math.

However, even though ninja school was tough, I still I felt that I was learning too slowly. I peeked at the advanced books, and saw that the duplication or clone technique would not be taught until fifth or sixth grade. I would be so much older then, which is saddening when I think of Itachi and Shisui. They could do those things _now_.

So one day, after finishing my math, I went to a ninja store. I put all the allowance I had saved on the counter and bought an invisibility cloak. Then, I decided to sneak up on my cousins the next morning. The cloak I bought had a grass print, so I lied in a field of grass and covered the cloak over my body.

It did not work as I planned.

Shisui would not stop laughing that morning, while Itachi pointed out that I had the grass print on the _inside_.

I slapped my face.

The next week, I tried something else to improve. I went to the training fields. I had to ask many people for directions, but I got there. I got super lucky, because I caught who I was looking for.

"Kurenai!"

Kurenai was in the middle of a swerve kick. She landed with grace, her opposite palm as an balancing point.

She wiped away sweat, and greeted me. "Ayae! Nice to see you. How is Ms. Hyuuga doing?"

"Great! We've got three more dancers. One is my classmate."

Kurenai took out a bottle of water, and then sat down, her legs tucked in. "So, you said you have some questions to ask me. Come, sit," she said, patting the grass beside her.

I plopped down, cross-legged, and told her about the Academy.

She listened, nodding. "The Academy _is _hard, Ayae, but it seems you've got it down. You're doing your best. What's the problem, then?"

I began to fidget. "It... it's just that this isn't getting me far. I mean, I'm sitting inside all day reading and multiplying _numbers_. I thought, I don't know, I thought that I would be doing the _cool_ninja stuff like... with swords and stuff."

Kurenai laughed. Shuffling through her hair, she said, "I know it may seem like the things you're doing is pretty useless now, but I promise you they are the most important things any ninja will need."

I stared at her in disbelief, when she added, "And it may seem like your progress is slow now, because you aren't seeing direct results. But you're moving faster than you know. The Academy is designed so that by the time you graduate, you _will _be able to do the cool ninja stuff."

At that, I grew hopeful.

Then she winked, and said, "And to let you in on a secret, the _normal _school's math is even_harder_."

I gasped. "No way!"

She nodded, then smiled and gave me advice for my studies, including less boring versions of books, and things to watch for. Then, the best part of the day, she let me watch her train, and even teach me a few roundhouse kicks that I could use for ballet.

By the time I left, I was gasping and sweating and ready to face anything.

.

I winced as Itachi gave a soft hiss. I looked up from my textbook, and then raised the book again to cover my eyes.

The living room was littered with textbooks, weapons, and boxes of medicine. The room smelled like a hospital.

"Itachi dear, I am going to ask you again: what happened earlier today?" Aunt Mikoto asked in a motherly voice.

No reply.

Aunt Mikoto grew impatient. "What happened?"

"Nothing, Mother."

"Wrong answer," Aunt Mikoto snarled, pressing a cotton ball soaked with alcohol against his wound. _Hard_. Itachi clenched his jaw.

There was something funny going on with Itachi. Recently, I had been catching him with more and more bruises and cuts. But whatever injury I saw, it would be gone the next day. I had a bruise my leg, hidden under my pants. It had been a week, but my bruise had not healed yet, so I started wondering how Itachi was healing so fast.

Aunt Mikoto seemed to know more of what was going on, though she did not say anything until today. Itachi got hurt _really_badly today.

"Tell me! What was it? Mission? Training? Was this your father's doing?"

"It is nothing, Mother."

More alcohol.

"Nothing! You _dare_call this nothing?"

That was the first time I heard Aunt Mikoto curse, but she did. Still, Itachi would not talk. Having enough, Aunt Mikoto grabbed his bloodied shirt on the floor. She left upstairs to get a clean one, telling me to call her should he leave.

I nodded into my book. My textbook was pressed into my nose, so close that the print was blurry. I could not look up. There was enough blood to make my stomach queasy, so I kept my ears open instead. Itachi did not move.

When Aunt Mikoto came back, she had a clean shirt for Itachi to wear. Since his wounds were hidden, I looked up from my book. Instantly, I wanted to throw up. The floor was red, bandages were red, and the water was red. I slammed the book back on my face.

"I'm taking you to a hospital," Aunt Mikoto sighed, grabbing her purse.

"That is not necessary."

She slapped him. "Itachi! Your back is _torn open_! I'm amazed you even thought of sneaking home and treating this yourself. Come, Ayae, you can come with us."

"What about Sasuke? He'd be alone," Itachi said.

At this, Aunt Mikoto hesitated. She could not leave Sasuke alone in the house.

"I can stay and watch him." I mumbled into the ink smudging my cheeks. My eyes shifted to meet Itachi's gaze and...

Daggers.

But Aunt Mikoto agreed with me. "Okay. I'm sorry to leave you here like this, Ayae dear, but it's an emergency. Feel free to eat whatever is in the fridge, okay?"

"Okay."

Jingle. Click.

"Mother!"

"You seriously think I was going to take you outside of this house just like that?" Aunt Mikoto said, pocketing the key to the handcuff. "Be careful, Ayae dear!"

Then she pulled her son by the cuff and led them out.

When they were gone, I peeled the textbook off my face. I went to the kitchen and saw leftover shrimp in the fridge. I snatched it, and I ate it cold.

The rest of the time, I lied down on the couch and read more textbooks. Sasuke was asleep the whole time, so I did not have to do anything. When the Aunt Mikoto came back, she tossed Itachi to the couch and placed him under house arrest. Itachi tried to persuade her. She did not listen.

"Torn tissue, excessive internal and external bleeding, possible fracture, and we will have to return for a _second_screening. There is no way you are leaving this house, young man!"

"But-"

"No talking back!"

Defeated, Itachi fell quiet. Meanwhile, Aunt Mikoto cleaned up the living room, washed the dishes, and then went upstairs to check Sasuke.

I lied on the couch, reading my book upside down. "What happened, Itachi?" I asked.

Itachi did not answer me either. I was worried for him though. A paper cut was painful enough; I could not imagine a trip to the hospital.

Finally, I set down my book and looked to him. "You're making Auntie really worried, you know," I said.

Itachi stared at the stairs, and then lowered his gaze. He had nothing to say.

I decided to cheer him up. House arrest was not the worst thing that could happen. For me, it meant I could spend the day with him. So I chatted about various things, about school and whatnot. The rest of the evening, Itachi helped me with homework. I realized he was a good tutor, and could teach things much better than my textbooks.

While Aunt Mikoto was folding some sheets, she noticed us and suggested, "Why not go with her to school tomorrow, Itachi?"

"I've graduated."

"Yeah, but you left so quickly, you missed the fun of it." Then, she added, "That, or you can stay home under my watch."

I liked the Aunt Mikoto's idea and also begged him to come.

So, the next day, I brought him to school. However, when I entered my classroom, all the girls had disappeared. I had forgotten that we were starting the seminars today. The girls and the boys were split in two groups for the seminars. The girls were to follow Teacher Suzume to talk about female ninjas, while the guys went with Teacher Funeno to talk about male ninjas.

"Itachi, my boy! What are you doing back here?" Teacher Funeno exclaimed.

"Teacher Funeno." Itachi bowed.

"My! And after all this time, you still remember me! Tell me, how have you been doing?"

"Well. My teacher is considering my team for the Chuunin Exam this winter."

"Wonderful! I knew it! I told you, didn't I? Brilliant student, just brilliant," Teacher Funeno said, shaking his head. "Well, since you decided to visit, please join us! Come to the shinobi seminar! You would be the perfect role model for me to present to my class."

Itachi was uncomfortable. I also noticed that classmates were eavesdropping and whispering about Itachi's sudden appearance. Their eyes did not look friendly.

"With no disrespect sir, I came to accompany my cousin. I intend to stay by her."

Disappointed, Teacher Funeno patted Itachi on the back, causing Itachi to wince, and bid us farewell.

The girls would be in the fields. When we left the classroom, I whispered to Itachi, "You didn't have to come with me, you know. Now you're going to be learning girly stuff."

He sighed. "It's fine. Teacher Funeno can get carried away at times."

I agreed.

In the fields, there was a teacher with curly hair and thick glasses. All the third year girls sat down around her. We were the last to arrive, but we caught everyone's attention when we did.

"Itachi? What are you doing here?" Tamaki asked, eyes wide. Ayame was confused too, but then blushed and looked away. Dai and Setsu both turned around at the same time, then wrestled each other to move aside so he could sit between them.

My friends were not the only ones.

"Hey, you can sit by me," a girl said, scooting over.

"Or here!"

"No, me!"

"Hey! That's Itachi, the kid who graduated," one girl whispered to another.

"He's cute," the second girl whispered back.

A bunch giggled.

"Still fine?" I muttered to Itachi. He was unaffected, which made the girls more interested.

Finally, the teacher coughed and got everyone to hush down. "Okay, you two standing, what are your names?"

"Uchiha Ayae."

"Uchiha Itachi."

A bunch of squealing at that.

"Interesting. Are you two siblings?" the teacher asked.

"Cousins," we said.

"Well, it seems we have a guest in our presence. This was not planned, but I think this will help us greatly," the lady said, pushing her up glasses. "Come here, you two."

I led Itachi to the teacher, and we stood side by side as the teacher introduced the female ninja seminar. Basically, we learn about what it meant to be a female ninja, a kunoichi.

"Everyone, as you know, there are several differences you should keep in mind when it comes to shinobi and kunoichi. For example, Itachi here is a shinobi, while Ayae here is a kunoichi. Can anyone spot differences in these two?" the teacher asked.

"Um, he's hot? She's not?" said a girl with blue hair, smirking.

While the girls all giggled, the teacher tried to be serious. "No," she said. "Yes? Girl in grey."

"He's taller."

"Very good! Typically, shinobi are taller than kunoichi. That gives then several advantages in combat, such as kicks and leverage," the teacher said, showing us the differences in our legs. "See the limps? In taijutsu, or hand to hand, if both were to do a cross-kick, who would hit who first? The shinobi, in most cases.

"But! Do not get discouraged, the kunoichi, on the other hand, has a better dodging ability. Kunoichi are naturally more flexible and agile." The teacher pointed to my hips. "It is not noticeable now, but as you know, a grown woman will gain wider hips, thus allow her a better degree of movement. So, back in combat, should she have lost the counter-kick, her ability to dodge and regain her footing is greater."

She went on to talk more about our body parts, using us as dummies. She said how boys got muscles easier than girls because of our bio-chem-mystery. And how boys had bigger chakra reserves. In contrast, girls had quicker movements, and better chakra control.

"Of course, these are all generalizations. There are exceptions. For example, have any of you studied the legendary Sannin?"

No one raised their hand.

"No one?"

"The snake, the slug, and the toad sages who studied under the third Hokage," Itachi said. "The exception referred is Lady Tsunade, the slug tamer, who has the most power of the three in terms of brute force."

"Correct!"

While the teacher went on about specialties of kunoichi, I stood there awkwardly. I grew stiff, and then began to shift my weight to different legs. Finally, Itachi gave a cough and got the teacher's attention.

"Oh, you two may sit down now. Thank you very much for helping with my explanation."

Relieved, I took a seat next to Tamaki. Itachi sat next to me, and a ring of girls sat around him.

I sighed, trying to pay attention to the teacher, and not the girls. The teacher gave our first lecture, which was on disguise and interrogation.

"Disguise is key when it comes to being a female ninja. One must know how to pass off as a common citizen. This is perhaps the best way to obtain information. Instead of making a scene, you can make the target accidentally give it away instead, and without them even realizing..."

Teacher Suzume told us how to hide ninja gear, such as wrapping the headband around our legs so that it would not be seen. She told us that buying wigs and contacts could help keep our identity hidden.

"But even then, it may be impossible to extract what you need. It depends on the target itself, and while some are open and talkative, others sometimes require further persuasion."

A girl's hand shot up.

"Yes, girl in the yellow."

"By persuasion, do you mean the _art of seduction_?"

There was giggling in the crowd, and the teacher pulled up her glasses.

"Err, yes. In many cases, female ninjas can use their sex appeal to their advantage. However, that is straying from the point, and you kids will learn more about that as you get older."

Her words caused more giggling.

"Okay! So let's see what you have all learned about disguising and interrogation. Partner up. I want each of you to take a slip from this hat, then extract the proper information from the other person. When the bell rings, switch to a different person and so on."

The hat was passed around and I dug my hand in for a slip at the bottom. I handed the hat to Itachi, who took the uppermost piece without touching any of the rest.

I unfolded mine. 'Favorite color.'

Well, that was easy enough.

"Hey Ita-" He was gone, pulled away by a long haired girl. Guess he was not my partner then. I turned the other way and paired up with Tamaki.

"Remember girls! You have to be inconspicuous with your conversation. Do not give the other person any clue as to what you are trying to achieve. When you do get your information, raise your hand."

Tamaki held out a hand. "Hi. What's your name?"

I blinked. "Tamaki, you already know my name."

"Well, we are just meeting each other for the first time. We are role-playing, remember?"

Going along with it, I shook her hand. "My name's Ayae. You?"

Tamaki's hand shot up. "I got your name!"

Oh, _that_was just not fair. Lucky her, for getting an easy one.

The bell dinged.

I talked to an afro girl. "Hi."

"Ello."

"Nice to meet you," I said, carefully choosing my words. I knew to not give any more information than needed.

"Sure. You too. Listen, I just came into town and I'm new 'ere. Do you know a good place to eat?"

"Um, not really. I don't eat out a lot." I mentally slapped myself. If her question was whether I go out to eat, then I would have lost already.

"Oh. _If_you were to go somewhere, where would you go to eat?"

"I guess at Ichiraku Ramen's… or some dessert shops." I added the past part to keep it general.

"Really? You like salty foods like ramen? Or sweet things?"

"I like them both."

"What kind of ramen or sweets? I like sugary foods too, you know. Is it cake?"

By this point, I knew her task had to do with food. "I like a lot of foods," I said, shrugging.

The girl frowned, not liking my vagueness. "I like lemon squares. Do you like those? Or do you like something like brownies?"

"You like lemons squares? Really? Why?" I asked.

"I just like lemon. That's not my favorite food though!"

"I like lemons too. I like it because it's yellow."

"Me too! I like yellow."

"Really?"

"Yeup! It's my favorite color."

I raised my hand. A second after, the bell dinged.

It went on like that. I tried to fish out each girl's favorite color. I learned to talk about their shoes, or clothes, or something like that, and they would start talking.

"You think they're cute? Thank you! Me and my mom and sister went with me to the market and we saw them in the window and we all went oh my gosh, they would look so cute but my sister wanted them too and we didn't want to be wearing the same because that's stupid…"

And the girl went on, and on, and _on_.

I was about to walk away when she said, "And then, and then, we saw _another_pair, but it was white, not pink, so my sister got those since it had the shiny beads in them and-"

"I think she should have gotten the pink. I mean, pink's s a great color," I fished.

"I know! Don't tell her, but it's her lost. I LOVE pink. I have my whole outfits-"

"Is it your favorite color?"

"No DUH!"

I rose my hand.

"Phooey. That was what you wanted to know, wasn't it? So, where was I? Yeah, my sister got the white ones which I thought was just ew…"

I _ran_.

"Pst! Ayame! Save me!" I said, hiding behind her. The girl was _still _talking. She did not even know I was gone.

Ding!

"Partner?" Ayame asked.

"Yes! Please!" I begged.

We just talked. I already knew she liked pink, so it would be unfair.

Ding!

"So, how was your vacation?" I asked a frilly haired girl.

"…"

"I've never met you before. Were you in our grade last year?"

"…"

"O_kay_. Well, now we meet. You mind telling me your name?"

"…"

"You know, you _do_have to talk," I told the girl, frustrated.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I thought if I didn't talk, then you can't get any info from me."

I slapped my face. "Then how are _you_going to get your info from _me_?"

"Oh. Hadn't thought of that. Psh. Who cares. Just keep talking."

"Hey!"

"…"

"Two can play at that game."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Okay, one. This is stupid."

Ding!

"Hm, so he's your cousin?"

Eye twitch.

"Tch, I'm sorry but he is just _so_much nicer looking than you."

Eye twitch.

"So, if you guys are together or anything, break it up now."

Eye twitching compulsively.

"Not that he would be with you. Because seriously! You look _so_disgusting."

_Tackle._

I hated this girl. It was the blue haired brat earlier. The cat fight broke up when Tamaki pulled me away. I tried to reach out and pull out some of that blue hair. Must. Reach. And. Yank. Must!

"You crazy!" Blue Hair shrieked.

"Calm down, Ayae! You are making a scene!" Tamaki said, restraining me.

"Let go!" I squirmed.

"Come on. She's not worth it."

"Yeah, leave with her. None of you are pretty enough for Itachi _anyway_!" Blue Hair pulled down her lower eye lid.

Tamaki stopped in her tracks. "Excuse me?" she asked politely.

"Yeah, you heard me!" Blue Hair said, hands at her hips. "Only one person is pretty enough, and that's _me_."

"I don't have blue hair," Tamaki said.

"And I don't have an ugly face! Crazy and ugly, ugly and crazy," Blue Hair sang.

"And what makes you think Itachi finds you pretty?" Tamaki asked, eyes narrowed.

"Psh, why wouldn't he?" Blue Hair said, flipping back her hair. "But I know _you_, Tamaki, swooning all over him first grade. His rejection of you was _hilarious_."

Tamaki cracked her knuckles.

"Your face matched the color of your shirt!"

Another crack.

"As if you stood a chance. _I-Itachi, want to have lunch together?_" Blue Hair copied Tamaki's voice.

Tamaki's chest rose. But then, she exhaled and smiled politely. "Do you know I play the flute?"

"So? That's nothing special-"

_Punch_.

"Come on, Ayae. Let's go." Tamaki stomped away, her pigtails bouncing with every step.

Ding!

"Interesting display."

"Eep!" I spun around to find Itachi. "What the- You were just over there- Weren't you…!"

"Partner?"

I crossed my arms. "Thought you had a crowd around you."

"Not anymore," he said, pointing in the direction of Tamaki. All the girls had gone to Tamaki to crown the new fanclub leader.

"Oh, so you miss your fans?"

"Some are pleasant."

"You are joking, right?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Glad you are having fun then," I muttered.

The rest of the time, I tried to fish out his favorite color. I got nowhere. He gave the vaguest answers. _Yes. No. Sometimes. Depends. I prefer to not answer. Irrelevant. _I gave up and just asked what his favorite color was.

Turns out, he had none, which meant I wasted five minutes of my time.

The bell dinged, and I was surrounded by a mob of girls again. Correction, _Itachi_was surrounded by a mob of girls again.

I heard the teacher mutter to an incoming staff member, "Looks like the boy is the one doing the seducing here. And he's got these poor girls in the palm of his hand." She shook her head disapprovingly, and the staff member laughed, before handing her the schedule for the next seminar.


	8. Celebration Arc: Looking Closer

"_Meow! Meow!_"

"Kitty goes meow!"

"_Cat_goes meow!" Sasuke said, grinning.

"_Meow! Meow!_" I pulled the cat arm again, and the fortune cat _meowed_again.

"Sasuke, what do you say?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome!" I said.

"Good boy," Aunt Mikoto said, patting Sasuke on the head before going into the kitchen.

"Here! Open mine next!" Tamaki said, slamming a big box down on the table.

The first school semester was over, and everyone was on break for the summer. Both Sasuke and I had our birthdays in August, so we had a party at his house. I did not mind sharing birthday parties, as long as I got the same amount of presents.

However, I did get upset that I had missed Itachi's birthday two months earlier. I had been so busy with school work, I did not even know. Itachi never reminded me. When I had asked Aunt Mikoto why she did not remind me, she apologized and said that it had been a secret. But then, she smiled and told me she would remind me every year from then on. I was happy, and made up the lost birthday by giving Itachi an origami had I had learned to do in my kunoichi seminar.

Originally, Sasuke was not going to have a party. His dad was not even going to be home. My dad and I decided that would not do. My dad bought a cake, and I invited people for a party. At the capital, everyone _had _to have a party on their birthday.

I got Tamaki and Ginjiro to come over. They were the only ones free during the summer. Sasuke also knew them best of all my friends.

In the beginning, Ginjiro did not want to go inside the Uchiha district, but I begged. He agreed after my tenth plea. Tamaki agreed after the first. When I led my friends inside the district, they were in awe. Ginjiro tried not to show any excitement, but I caught him looking at everything. Tamaki squealed when we reached the main house. "Is that mansion Itachi's home?" she whispered.

Itachi himself did not show up until afternoon. He had work with his dad, but he ditched halfway for the party. He brought Shisui too.

Turns out, Sasuke hated Shisui.

"Brother Itachi, who's he?"

"A friend," Itachi said.

"Yo! So this is your cute widdle brother," Shisui said, pinching Sasuke's cheeks.

"Don't do that," Itachi warned.

"Now why- OUCH! He bit me!"

"Told you."

"Would you like a piece of cake too, Shisui? Please, sit," Aunt Mikoto offered.

"Anything involving food, the answer is always yes. And with seconds, if you may," Shisui said, shaking his bitten finger in the air.

Aunt Mikoto laughed and got out the cake. Everyone sang Sasuke a happy birthday, and he blew on the candles.

Two candles went out, but one still burned. The candle wax began to drip down into the cake, and I mentally screamed. _NO! NOT THE ICING! DON'T GET WAX ON THE ICING!_

Sasuke pouted, glaring at the last candle, as if that would make it blow out. In the end, Itachi blew it out for him, and Sasuke was happy. I was happy too, relieved that no wax got on the cake.

The cake was eaten mostly by Sasuke, with a total of three big slices. He would not listen when we told him to stop, and ended up _throwing up _those three pieces. Then on, he hated sugar forever.

To cheer him up, we went to Sasuke's room for present opening.

Sasuke opened mine first, which was the adorable fortune cat I found with Naruto. He liked it.

The next present came from Tamaki. She got him an easy-to-assemble model kit. It was supposed to be a dragon after you assembled it. Trust me, it was _not_easy to assemble. Tamaki, Gin, and I combined could not assemble it, let alone Sasuke, who bashed the parts against the floor.

Shisui could have assembled the dragon, but Sasuke kept on taking the parts away from Shisui's hands. "Mine!" Sasuke snarled cutely each time, grabbing the part away and giving it to Itachi to hold.

Itachi made no effort to help. Sasuke was bent on putting it together himself anyway, so he pointed to pieces and Itachi would reach and hand them to him. Even Sasuke was finished, we all sweat dropped.

I will tell you one thing about his abomination: it was _not_a dragon.

"Are you sure this is for three year old kids?" I whispered to Tamaki.

She shrugged, "The box says three and older. Well, he's three now."

Sasuke opened my dad's present next. It was one of his crazy inventions, a giant rubber ball. A giant _squishy _rubber ball. That was the size of Sasuke.

Sasuke had a great time tackling and wrestling it. Then everyone else took turns at it. It made such a great punching dummy and chair.

Ginjiro's present was a pop-up book. His mom bought him something cheap.

Shisui's present was whatever was in his pocket, since he was pulled out of his duty at the last minute. Shisui gave Sasuke a yo-yo, a few pieces of candy, and a bunch of shiny foreign coins. He claimed those were all the way from the Rice country.

Sasuke was wearing Aunt Mikoto's present. It was a t-shirt. She made him a sweater too, but it was too hot to wear now, so it was in his closet.

Finally, Sasuke opened Itachi's present. It was a brown teddy bear. Sasuke hugged it.

"So, now what?" Shisui asked, flipping through Ginjiro's pop-up book. He opened the book, then closed the book, then opened the book, then closed the book, watching the page pop out, and back in, and out. He was mesmerized.

Tamaki clapped her hands together. "Ooh! I've got an idea! Let's play House!"

I sat up, hugging the squishy ball. I liked her idea. "I know that game!" I said.

"What's House?" Ginjiro asked the inside of his cap. He laid on the bed in boredom, legs dangling off the edge of the bed. He would swing his legs too, almost hitting Shisui's head each time.

"It's easy. We pretend to be a family," Tamaki said.

"In a house, under one roof," I added.

"And we role-play. It's great. Right, Ayae?"

"Yeah, I played this at the capital all the time."

The rest of the guys exchanged a look.

"Sounds _girly_," Ginjiro said, removing his cap.

Pouting, Tamaki turned to Sasuke, "You want to play, don't you?"

Sasuke did not reply. He hugged his bear and shrunk away.

"That's a yes!" Tamaki said. "He's the birthday boy, and Ayae's the birthday girl. That's two out of two votes! We play!"

"Eh, sure. Why not," Shisui said and tossed the book.

Tamaki said more rules. "So, who's who?" she asked.

"I know," I said. "I'll be the mom. Tamaki, you can be my sister, so you are the aunt." I pointed to Itachi. "You can be the dad." Sasuke. "Son." Shisui. "Uncle." Ginjiro. "Brother-in-Law, cause you are married to Tamaki." I liked my choices.

"Oh no, no, no. If I'm going to be anyone, I want to be the son. Kids get _all_the perks," Shisui said.

"I don't want to be son!" Sasuke complained.

"And I don't want to get married to Gin, no offense," Tamaki said.

"None taken. And seriously, brother-_in-law_? Why not just _brother_?"

"It's settled! Redo!" Tamaki said. "Okay, how's this? I'll be the mom, Itachi will be the dad. Ayae can be the daughter. Sasuke can be the baby. Shisui can be the rebellious teenager. And Ginjiro can be Ayae's brother. How's that?"

My eye twitched. "You do realize you and Itachi have the four of us as your kids?" I asked. Also, I did not want the daughter role. I was _already_playing the daughter role.

"I no like it!" Sasuke pouted.

Tamaki rolled her eyes. "Okay, Sasuke, you can remain Itachi's brother. Um, Ayae can be your wife then."

Sasuke grimaced. "Yuck!"

"Hey! I'm offended!" I said.

"Can I be the dad?" Ginjiro asked. "Why do I always have to be the brother?"

"Well _someone_has to be a kid."

"Hey, hey. _We_are brothers! High five bro!" Shisui told Ginjiro.

"No. Way. Switch me out! I want to be the dad!" Ginjiro said.

We debated, and debated some more. But no one could come to an agreement, so in the end, we wrote down every role and put the papers in Ginjiro's cap. Tamaki shuffled the papers, and each of us grabbed a piece.

"Okay, what you get, you're stuck with," Tamaki said. "No more arguing!"

It _seemed_like a good plan. Until I opened my slip, and felt my eye twitch.

"No."

"Freaking."

"Way."

"In hell."

"What this say? Really? YAY! I'm the daddy!" Sasuke cheered.

"That's one person happy. But _hell no_! I'm _grandpa_?" I said, throwing the paper on the floor.

"REDO! I'm the grandmother! That means _we_are married!" Tamaki cried.

"Ew! We are old and wrinkly and _ew_! You're my best friend, but not enough for me to marry you. Sorry Tamaki," I said solemnly, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Divorce! Divorce!"

"_What_? I'm the granddaughter! I'm the three-year-old's _granddaughter_?" Gin demanded, showing us his paper.

"Well, now you aren't anyone's brother!" I laughed. "Aren't you happy?"

"I'd be more happy to be _born_," Ginjiro scowled.

"Itachi, what did you get?" Tamaki asked, peeking over his shoulder. He flipped over his slip for us to read, and we blinked.

Then came the laughter.

"AHAHA. You're the _mom_, or Sasuke's _wife_."

Sasuke's eyes beamed. "YAY! Brother's mine!"

"Of course," Itachi said, pulling Sasuke to his lap.

"No!" Tamaki cried. "No, no. This is all wrong. Itachi is being my husband. And Sasuke is the _son_."

"Not according the lotto, Tamaki," Ginjiro said. "Not according to the lotto."

"So let me get this straight. Tamaki and I had Sasuke as our kid, who married Itachi, and they had a kid, who then had a daughter, who is Ginjiro."

A pause.

"This is one _messed up_family," I concluded, tearing my grandpa note.

"And I beat you all," Shisui said. "I'm the family _dog_."

"Aw, you'd be a cute dog, Shisui," I teased. "Thumbs up for whoever wrote down dog!"

"I call for trade!"

"Dude, no one wants your spot."

"Well yours isn't so pretty either. At least I exist."

"Better that than a mutt. Or wrinkly face."

"Hey! Low blow!"

"My bad."

"Seriously, redo!"

"NO redo! I am daddy."

"Well, I don't like being _your_dad, Sasuke."

"What's wrong with being dad?"

My dad entered the room. He carried a tray of drinks. Aunt Mikoto followed. Tamaki jumped up to open the bedroom door wide for them.

"I'm talking about being the _grandpa_," I said. "Anything wrong with that picture?"

"Gee, _why_are you guys complaining? I'm the _dog_for crying out loud!"

"Dog?" Aunt Mikoto asked, setting down the tray on a desk.

"We play House!" Sasuke exclaimed, showing his teddy bear to his mother.

Aunt Mikoto smiled and rubbed the bear's ear. "Oh?" She was familiar with the game, so she joined us. My dad wanted in on the hullabaloo.

And so, our dysfunctional family got even more dysfunctional with the second lotto drawing. The game of house never got anywhere. We spent the time fighting over spots. Even the adults.

.

I turned eight the first of August. I was startled awake first thing in the morning by a wind-up frog.

My dad made it. If you turn the handle on the frog's back, the frog would hop. My dad thought it would be funny to let the frog hop on me while I was still asleep. When I did wake up and yelp, my dad sang happy birthday. He then asked if I liked his present, and got all excited explaining how he made it.

I grew to like the frog. It was as cute as the flopping fish he made me last year.

Downstairs was already a pile of presents from my friends.

I yawned, opening each during breakfast. I grabbed the biggest present first. Naturally, it was Tamaki's. I read the card over once.

'Hope ya like it~ See ya at school next year!'

She gave me a doll house set. It was a great present, since Utako would use her own home.

Setsu and Dai sent me a giant album of stickers. I noticed a pretty butterfly, peeled it off, and stuck it on my cheek. There were notes from them too, with funnies stories of their vacation so far.

Ayame gave me a bracelet, another necklace that I hanged around Utako's neck. Ayame's _dad_gave me a coupon book of his ramen shop. I gave the book to my dad, but kept a few coupons in my backpack, just in case.

Ginjiro gave me the _best_gift. It was a box set of ninja toy weapons. There were dozens of shuriken, kunai, scrolls. In a tagged note, he said I better share those with him, since he had spent a fortune.

I tore the cardboard box, trying to get a shuriken. When my dad caught me throwing one in the living room, he freaked out. I had to calm him down and tell them they were only plastic toys.

The morning, I stabbed at random things and threw shuriken around. I could not get the shuriken to spin when I threw them. Then one of my shuriken accidentally hit my dad's glasses and plopped into my dad's coffee, splashing him. With skewed glasses, he frowned, and pointed at the door. I laughed nervously and practiced outside from then on.

When I came back for lunch, I got more packages. They were from Aunt Mikoto, Shisui, and Itachi.

Aunt Mikoto gave me cookies, and a dress. I loved the dress, and wore it instantly. The bow in the back was too much though, so I dropped the bow.

Shisui gave me a pack of cards. TEN packs of cards, since it was a collection. Every card contained a trivia question. 'How many miles are in a furlong?' one card read.

I blinked. Okay, what the heck was a mile? Moreover, what was a _furlong_?

Shisui answered that in his note: 'Don't look at me, I have no idea what's a furlong either.'

Finally, Itachi's present. His present was smaller than the rest, and I could not contain my excitement. I unwrapped the paper carefully, trying to not tear it. But then I heard a small tear, and I gave up, tearing the wrapping apart.

What I got was…

A box.

A wooden box.

I flipped it over and saw engravings. I shook it, but it made no noise. It sounded hollow. The lid opened when I turned a small knob. The cover slid out.

But the box was empty, except for a note.

'Happy Birthday.'

It was Itachi's handwriting. I flipped over the note.

Blank.

I did not know whether to be confused or disappointed.

The cover was pretty though. I liked the swirls of flowers and petals. The sides of the box had random scribbles. I stared at the box some more, waiting, tapping my foot. If this was some cryptic mystical box with some awesome super-secret ninja chi given by some cursed demon god, do not blame me for not figuring it out.

I tucked away all my presents. I got a good batch this year.

The afternoon, my dad took me to eat at a tea shop owned by the nice auntie and uncle. When my dad said we were celebrating my birthday, they said the snacks would be on the house.

Afterward, my dad and I went deeper into Konoha. We browsed through shops and went on our annual birthday shopping. At the trinket shop I had visited with Naruto, there was a piggy bank next to the fortune cats. I asked my dad if I could have it, and he agreed.

Further into the village, we passed by vendors. I had a vanilla ice cream cone; my dad tried the mint one. We would have both gotten chocolate, but the vendor did not sell any. How dare he.

Soon, we were at the clothing district. There were the hustles and bustles of people. One man carried a load of spooled cloth over his shoulder and into a store. The cloth looked pretty, so I ran in after him.

The door opened with a chime.

"Oh, my dear lord!" my dad exclaimed. "Look at all this fabric!" He spun around and around. From floor to ceiling was all cloth.

A chubby man went up to us and exclaimed, "Welcome! Like what you see? Yes, that is one indeed one hundred percent silk, straight from Suna. How may I help you?"

"Uh, no thanks. Just browsing," my dad said, his eyes pressed into his glasses.

The shop owner stayed jolly. "No problem! Tell me if you wish to make a purchase. And please, no touching the red-labeled ones! The others, have a feel for the texture! I'm sure you'll like!"

A second chime.

The owner brightened even more. "Ah! Welcome Ms. Hyuuga! Nice to see you again. Another kimono I presume? We just stocked in more of the nightingale brown you wanted. And the new summer pattern, I must say, would be _perfect_for your wardrobe!"

"Ah, I'm flattered. And yes, I am here to- Oh! Hello Ayae, Mr. Kenta," Ms. Hyuuga greeted.

"Teacher Hyuuga! Hi!" I said.

My ballet teacher was wearing a yukata, which only made her more pretty. Her hair was down too, long and flowing.

My dad thought she looked pretty too. "Oh! H-hi! Ms. Kagami! What a coincidence! Never thought we would see you here. How's your summer? Are you enjoying it? I am. I mean, we are. You too? How's your summer? It's been a while since we last met. Ayae's been waiting for fall again to continue her dancing."

"Really Ayae?"

I nodded.

"That's wonderful," Ms. Hyuuga said. Then she asked, "Are you here picking out a kimono too? Or yukata? It gets really hot in the village, and the cloth here has quite a quality. Very well made and breathable."

"I am _deeply_moved that you believe in our products!" the owner chimed in. "_Please_, I _insist_! Special discount! Buy one, and I'll throw in one for you for free, Ms. Hyuuga!"

"Oh, no I can't accept that-"

"I insist!" the owner said, his arms wide. "Anything you want! It has been such a great pleasure having a repeating customer like you that it's the _least _we can do! Emi! Emi! Where is that girl? Emi, Ms. Hyuuga is here!"

The worker carrying the cloth grunted and set his load down, before going to the back. He found Emi. Emi flashed a smile to everyone and waved. "Nice to see you again, Ms. Hyuuga! My mother is almost done tailoring the dress you wanted, too. But I'm afraid it won't be delivered here until this Sunday."

"No problem, I have a whole week left for that," Ms. Hyuuga said. "I'm here to pick out new summer dresses for my nieces and a kimono myself for the upcoming clan celebration."

"Busy as usual! Come, Emi and I will help you decide what you want!" the owner said.

Ms. Hyuuga told them that she wanted something more traditional and formal, yet contemporary. Light in weight, warm in color. Emi ran to gather cloths that suited Ms. Hyuuga's description.

Then Ms. Hyuuga turned to us. "Pardon me for keeping you waiting. You were saying?"

"We were just looking," I said. "My dad and I are walking around because it's my birthday."

"How old are you turning?"

"Eight!"

"Well, then. Since you are an excellent pupil, how about I get you a nice summer yukata for your birthday? If your dad is okay with it."

"Of course! But I can't make you pay for that, oh no. I mean these are- My god!" my dad exclaimed, adjusting his glasses and flipping over the price tag. "That is a lot of digits."

Ms. Hyuuga chuckled. "You really are something, Mr. Kenta. But you forget, I just received a discount, remember?"

I could not believe my luck! I was getting a free yukata? Oh man, oh man, I must think long and hard… "I'd like a yellow one!" I blurted out. "With flowers!"

"Do you have anything like that here, Emi?" Ms. Hyuuga asked.

Emi had just came back with swatches of colored cloths. "Yellow with flowers, I hear correctly?" Emi thought, then snapped her fingers and smiled. "Aha! Yes! I know a few. Be right back. And Ms. Hyuuga, how are these? I thought an earthy brown would be a great accent, and since you wanted warmth, these golds really make them pop. The design for the kimono is on the back page. It's a simplified version of a wedding gown. Pretty, huh?"

Ms. Hyuuga and my dad look through the pages together. Ms. Hyuuga pointed to the obi and asked my dad what he thought. I rolled my eyes when I heard him say beautiful. My dad was not a pro with fashion.

Emi asked me to follow her, and we went to the back corner of the shop.

On the table were different cloths. "Like these, little girl? The peach blossom ones always go by fast!"

I look carefully over the designs and choose a golden one with little white flowers and a deep red obi. I chose it because it reminded me of something my mom once wore.

By the time I got back to the front of the store, Ms. Hyuuga and my dad were still talking. It took them about an hour to pick out the kimono designs. Then they spent two more hours talking about everything, including the weather and how to stay cool. The owner and Emi joined in too.

I did not pay attention, because I did not care much for how hot the weather would be a week or a month from now. My dad seemed happy though.

.

The second semester started. My homework piled up to a mountain, so I was happy to learn that there was something called Konoha's National Autumn Festival. I needed the fun. My yukata came just in time for the festival too. I slipped it on, and tied on my obi.

My dad, on the other hand, could not choose what to wear. He barged into my room with two yukata in hand. "Hey, hey, sweetie. Which one? This dark blue one with the circles, or this green crisscrossy one?"

"I like the green," I said.

"Me too! Okay, wait, hold on."

I heard him rush downstairs, and then scream that he could not find his pair of snazzy new glasses. I rushed to help him find them, and we turned our home upside down searching. By the time he put on his new glasses, we were so late. The Uchiha district was already empty. Even the guards left to celebrate.

The streets of Konoha had changed, with lanterns and banners everywhere.

"You smell something?" my dad asked.

"Fried... fish?"

"Buying one?"

"Four."

We asked for four fish sticks from a vendor. I split two with my dad, and we joined the crowds of people. In the madness, I saw a stage, with chairs around it. I also saw my friends there. I wanted to join them for the puppet show. My dad did not mind, because he saw Ms. Hyuuga along with her clan.

"Be safe! Home before eleven!" my dad said, handing me money. He then adjusted his fancy hip glasses, and ran to Ms. Hyuuga.

I went to my friends. It was the usual gang, with two boys that were Ginjiro's friends. I noticed Gin was not wearing his cap, but a brown robe.

"What?" he asked.

"Cap," I said, pointing to his messy hair.

He ruffled it and grinned. "Oh, parents made me take it off. Let you in on a secret, it's still here," he said, taking the red cap out of his yukata. He put it on. "Warn me if my parents come."

I giggled. The cap and the yukata did not match. But he did not care, and enjoyed the show on stage. I took the chair beside him and watched the show too. The puppets were neat. A ninja and a samurai were hitting each other. The puppets were so realistic, and their movements so swift and precise.

When I finished eating my fish sticks, I looked around for more food. Of course, Dai had a bucket load of snacks, so I stole sweets off her. I grabbed a bag of the festivities candy. I popped a purple candy into my mouth. Grape was always the best candy flavor.

Since I sat in the last row, there were a group of kids in tag behind me. One accidentally knocked me on the head, and I turned around. I recognized both the kid and his friends from the orphanage. There were orphan caretakers nearby as well.

I looked around. I did not see Naruto. I had not seen him since last semester, and I wondered if he was doing okay.

My friends looked at me when I got up. I told them to save my seat, and then searched for Naruto. He was not with everyone else, even though all the other infants and toddlers were there.

I found myself going to the orphanage. As suspected, the orphanage was empty. I opened the front door and scrambled up the stairs, pulling up the hem of my yukata so I would not trip. And like before, I went to the last door of the hallway.

The door was locked.

I knocked. "Naruto? You in here?"

There was a shuffled and creaking behind the door. Furrowing my eyebrows, I pressed my ears against the door and heard more creaking. I pulled out a hair clip from my hair and picked the lock. The lock was old, so anything could have unlocked it. I could have banged the lock off too.

Once the door swung open, I saw Naruto tiptoeing on a dangerous stack of chairs and play stools, his hand reaching for the window.

My eyes widened when he lost balance. The next thing I knew, my back banged against the floors, Naruto in my arms. The stack of furniture collapsed around us.

I moaned. "Naruto! Dummy!"

He was making a whining noise too, cradling his head from the fall. Then he peeked open an eye.

"Aya!"

"Yes, me. What were you doing? You could have been hurt!"

"No open!" he said, pointing to the door. "No open!" He saw the open door, and lowered his pointing hand, tilting his head in confusion. "Open?"

"Yes, open. Come on, I'm busting you out."

I took his hand, and let him down. On the road, I handed him a piece of candy to keep him happy. Then I tried to toss a strawberry candy into my mouth, but missed. It rolled down the ground. I was about to leave it there, until a familiar toddler came and picked it up.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke, in a blue yukata, looked up and handed me the fallen candy. "Sister Ayae?"

"Hey, what are you doing here alone?" I asked. "Where's Auntie and Itachi?"

"Mommy went to song place, and I left daddy because he talk with people for long time. I wait, and wait, and then... and I got bored so I left then."

"What about Itachi? Where's your brother?"

Sasuke shook his head. "He no come. Brother at home. Candy?"

"Yes, that's candy. What do you mean Itachi's at home? Why isn't he here like everyone else?"

Sasuke shrugged, and opened his mouth.

"Gah! Sasuke don't eat that!" I yelled.

I could not believe I ended in charge of two little kids. Deciding I should take Sasuke to his parents first, I took Sasuke's hand with my free one. "Come on, let's find your dad."

"No!" Sasuke said, shaking himself free. At any other time, his pout would have been cute, but I had Naruto jabbing my arm, impatient.

"Listen, I don't like your dad either, but you can't be wandering alone! Your mom's going to get worried," I said.

Sasuke would not listen. He whined, and Naruto whined louder. Naruto pulled me in one direction, so we would leave Sasuke. Seeing there was another toddler with me, Sasuke grabbed my arm, pulled me the other direction.

Stressed, I pulled _both_boys toward the puppet show, ignoring their cries. Once there, I asked my friends to take care of them. They said okay, but Sasuke was stubborn and Naruto made noise. I tossed to them some treats. They shut up, shared my old seat, and ate.

Meanwhile, I wandered the streets and realized it was impossible to find Auntie. My feet were also hurting, so I took off my wooden sandals and left them by a vendor.

I ran barefoot to the Uchiha district. As I got closer, the streets got less and less crowded. Eventually, they got deserted altogether. At the main Uchiha house, I pulled on the front door and found it locked. I banged on the door and got no reply.

Cursing, I circled to the _back _door that led to the living room. My feet were dirty, but I skidded across the floors and up the stairs to Itachi's room.

As I climbed up, I grew impatient with Itachi. He should be enjoying the festival with everyone else, not here!

I slid his door open, and it slammed into the wall. I found him, in the middle of his room.

"Ayae?" Itachi asked, frozen.

"YOU!" I said, pointing at him. A deep breath later, the only words I could spit out were, "YOU _idiot_**… **festival… Sasuke… HERE!"

I caught my breath again and was about to say more when I saw what he was doing. I went red and jumped out, slamming the door shut, burying my back against the wood. "SORRY!"

I had just walked in on him bandaging his wounds, half naked. He was wet too, probably from a shower. Oopsies.

In the hall, I waited and heard more bandages being ripped and cut.

"Um, you need help?" I asked.

"No," he said, too quickly.

When he was done, I heard him put the bandages away. He slid open the door I was leaning on. I fell, having nothing to lean on, but he caught me.

"But thank you," he added. I balanced myself and walked with him into his room. Itachi grabbed a towel folded on a chair and dried his hair. "What is wrong, Ayae?" he asked, offering me the seat.

I stood where I was.

"What's wrong?" I said. "First of all, why are you not at the festival? Second of all, I have two toddlers under my care! Third of all, my lungs are about to explode, I can't feel my feet, and my arms are like rubber after being a human tug-o-war rope!"

"A what?"

"Ugh, long story. Oh, and fifth-fourth-whatever of all, Sasuke strayed from your dad and I can't find Auntie. I don't know what to do with him."

At the mention of that, Itachi tensed up. "Where is Sasuke currently if he's not with you?"

"Right now, I left Gin to take care of him," I said. "Tamaki and the rest are there too, watching a puppet show. But I don't know if my friends can handle them when it's over."

He relaxed. "Then, please go back and watch my little brother until he is left in the care of my mother."

I nodded and was about to leave. Then I stopped. "Whoa! Back up! What about you? Aren't you coming?!"

"I cannot leave."

"Why?"

"Long story," he said, in my own words.

Okay. I did _not_run here just to be sent back. I stomped across his room to his closet. I went through the each hanger, digging into the back.

"What are you-"

"Aha!" I took out a yukata. "Wear it and come down with me!"

"Ayae…"

"Argh! Just wear it! Or you can go in regular clothes! I don't care! Just _come_!"

He was about to say no again, but I had enough. Without warning, I tackled him to the bed and struggled for an arm. I tried to pull the yukata sleeve over him. "Stop. Moving. Damn it! Eek!" My foot slipped, and I crashed, landing on top of him.

"Owie," I moaned.

"Ayae, please remove your weight off me?"

"Do it yourself," I groaned, tangled in my own yukata.

"Very well." He flipped, and I landed on his bed with an "Oomph."

After that, I reached for his bed sheets and hugged his pillows, rolling on the bed and refusing to leave until he came with me. Itachi sighed at my childish act, and gave in.

I did not give him a chance to change his mind, jumping off the bed, and pulling him downstairs. I searched for my shoes until I remembered that I did not come in with any.

"Where are your sandals?"

"By a fish stick vendor?" I nervously laughed. "It's not really easy to ruN- put me down!" I struggled in his arms.

"Your feet are going get cut. Close your eyes, Ayae."

I did, and went on my second roof-hopping ride.

"Which direction?"

"Um…" I cracked open an eyelid to look at where we were.

"Keep your eyes closed. Do you remember where it is by? There are several shows hosted below."

I tightened my grip on him. "It's on a main street. The bigger one with lanterns… in a circle, I think."

"I see your friends."

With a leap, we were on the floor. "Ayae, you can open your eyes now."

When I did, the ground was spinning. I took a step forward to balance myself, then shooed Itachi's arm away. "I'm good."

The show puppet show had gotten a bigger crowd than before. Many parents heaved their children on their shoulders, so the kids could see. The seats of my friends were also taken by other people, which made me worry.

I looked around, and saw someone. "Tamaki!" I shouted. Pigtails turned. Tamaki squeezed through the crowd and ran to us, breathing hard.

"Ayae!" she gasped. "Ita-Itachi?"

She breathed, before she swallowed and shouted, "I'm sorry! They disappeared on us!"

"What!" I said. "_How_? There were like eight of you guys looking over them!"

"I don't know! The blonde kid snuck out somehow, so Ginjiro and the boys went to search for him. And then, Sasuke slipped from our grip too! We don't know where they went!"

Tamaki was in a frenzy, her hair a mess and her voice loud. I exchanged a nervous look with Itachi, but he did not panic.

"Sasuke is three," he said. "He couldn't have gotten far..." His fingers made a swift sign and he vanished. The rest of his words were drowned out by a loud applause. The puppet show was over.

"Itachi? Wait! Ayae, I'm sorry. They might have gotten hurt. I'm so sorry!" Tamaki's voice broke, and tears started flooding in. "And we've been l-looking and looking but we can't find them. It's not my f-fault, Ayae! I'm sorry…"

"It's fine." I hugged her. "Come on, let's go and look too."

She nodded. "Y-yeah. The girls are off to look east. W-we should go the other way."

We ran, screaming for Sasuke and Naruto, until Tamaki stopped and took off her sandals. Wordlessly, she threw them into a trash can and began running again. Unlike mine, hers were ten times more expensive.

The night, we looked for the brats. We found them, together, by a cotton candy vendor. Itachi was already there, sitting on a crate. He watched in the shadows, unnoticed by the two boys bickering over a piece of puffy cotton.

"Blue!"

"No!"

"Blue!"

"Nooo!"

"Bluuee!"

Naruto pointed to the orange one.

The vendor banged his head on the cart, before handing the two boys an orange cotton candy stick, followed by a blue one. "Now scam! And tell your parents to come back and pay for these!"

When the kids ran off with the sugar, Itachi stepped out and handed the vendor a few coins. By the time he caught up, I was holding a sugar-high Naruto and Tamaki was gripping a whining Sasuke.

"No more candy!" I said when I noticed they had finished my candy bag.

"Mo!"

"No more!"

"Narutomo Naruto mo!"

"No more!" Tamaki said with me.

"Brother Itachi!"

"Mo?"

"I said no more!" I yelled at Naruto.

Naruto grew stubborn and yelled on the top of his lungs, "Momomomomo!"

"…"

"MO!"

"I SAID NO MORE!"

"Itachi!" Tamaki sighed, relieved when Itachi came and took Sasuke by the hand. "Here's your brother. He seems alright."

"Brother?" Sasuke said, handing the blue cotton candy to his older brother. "Blue?"

Itachi smiled and kindly rejected the candy. "Sasuke…"

"Yes?"

"You have been a bad boy."

Sasuke whined. "No! Good boy!"

"Where is mother?"

"Mommy is at song place with Auntie."

"Our mother is with Shisui's mother," Itachi said. "I have my suspicions it's at the ceremonial fan dance like every year. The location should be close. I hear the drums."

"I hear it too! Itachi, I'll take Sasuke there with you," Tamaki offered.

Itachi shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I must return to the district. It is not my place to be here."

"What-"

"Tamaki," Itachi said, looking her in the eye, and Tamaki stopped. "I ask a favor. Please take my brother to my mother."

"O-okay…" Tamaki stuttered, her face turning pink.

"Thank you," he whispered as he walked past her. He was so close to her that I swore that his lips brushed her ear. Tamaki froze, speechless.

I huffed. "Hey! What about me!" I cried out.

"I believe Naruto needs your attention," Itachi said, not looking back. He stepped under the red glow of a lantern, then disappearing altogether into the night.

Sighing, I dragged Naruto with me. Together, the four of us followed the distant drumming. As Itachi said, there was a performance with ladies doing a traditional fan dance. Their fans shot out with a flapping noise, followed by a click of wood as they snapped shut. Countless were gathered to watch the dance. However, there was also a small, but violent, riot was in the crowd.

"YOU _WHAT_?"

A murmur.

"YOU SAID _WHAT_?"

Aunt Mikoto tackled her husband to the ground; the other two men backed away in fright.

"FUGAKU, YOU ASSHOLE! HOW _DARE_YOU LOSE MY BABY!" Aunt Mikoto screamed, straddling him with her legs, choking his neck.

"How could you!" another lady said, kicking him. "This is unforgivable!"

"YOU ASSHOLE, YOU ASSHOLE, YOU _ASSHOLE_!" Aunt Mikoto raged, banging his head on the ground each time. I cringed.

Meanwhile, Sasuke saw his mother and ran toward her.

"Mommy!"

Aunt Mikoto looked up. "My baby!" She rushed to hug and smother Sasuke. "Are you alright? Are you hurt? Oh, don't ever leave me again." She kissed Sasuke's forehead and squeezed him again in a crushing hug.

"Daddy?" Sasuke asked, tilting his head to see the dead man on the ground.

"No daddy! That pathetic excuse of a father is not your daddy!" she spat. As she set him down and took his hand, she noticed us. "Ayae! Tamaki! Oh, you girls found him, didn't you? I am so, so grateful."

"It was no big deal, Mrs. Uchiha," Tamaki said, bowing.

"Call me _Ms_. Uchiha from now on, thank you very much!" she growled. Then she smiled to her son, and in softer voice, said, "Come on, Sasuke dear, let me get you cleaned up. You have blue all over your face!"

One of the two men helped Itachi's dad up and laughed nervously. "Ahaha, looks like Mikoto's seeking a divorce!"

"That's not funny." Itachi's dad scowled, massaging his raw cheek.

"That's what you get for marrying a jounin! Get it together, man! You are bruising the clan pride."

_Stomp_!

"Look. Who's. Talking!" Itachi's dad said, rubbing the man's face into the dirt with his foot.

Next to me, an old peanut vendor shook his head. "Forty years, I've sold peanuts here," he grumbled to himself. "And they still haven't changed a bit. Always a ruckus."

"What do you mean?" I asked him, curious.

The vendor only kept shaking his head until he noticed me looking at him. "Eh? Peanuts?" he asked, grinning a toothless grin.

I blinked, and took a bag. As I ate, I watched the three men tackle each other and wrestle in the dirt.

Tamaki left to tell our friends to stop searching, so that left me with Naruto.

We walked down the streets, sharing the bag of peanuts. There were other stands that gave us free food and little toys. However, Naruto began to think everything was free, and snatched whatever he liked. Many times, I had to go back to the stores, and put the stuff back in place.

Naruto needed to understand that some of these things came with big price tags. And not paying the big price tag meant stealing. And stealing meant BAD!

The rest of the time, we watched a sword fight. It was cool, but also frightening since the performers used real swords. Metal clanged against metal, and I was afraid someone would get hurt. Thankfully, there were no accidents.

Half way through the show, Naruto fell off his sugar high, and fell asleep. I had a miserable time carrying him home. He weighed a _ton_. My arms were about to fall off and my legs were rubber before I saw the orphanage caretaker. She was haggling with a vendor over a pair of sandals when I tugged on her yukata and handed her the sleeping boy. I ran away before she could shriek.

I searched for my friends, but there were too many streets. So I made my second trip to the Uchiha district, and found Itachi on the veranda, resting his head against a post. I tiptoed, trying to sneak up on him.

"Why did you come back?" he asked.

"Boo?" I said, still half a meter behind him. I plopped down next to him and followed his gaze.

He was looking at the moon. It was bright and pretty, perfectly cut in half.

"Why did _you_come back?" I asked.

He could not say.

"The festival is fun. You should have some fun, too," I said. "So why don't we go back! It's not too late yet."

"I cannot leave," he said.

"You left _before_!"

"Rather, I should not." Before I could say more, Itachi closed his eyes and breathed in the night air. "It is peaceful here. That is more than enough."

The Konoha streets were a chaos of drums and yells and music. Here in the deserted district, it was so quiet I could hear the crickets and the wind. I could hear the wings of a bird, _feel _the glow of the moon. It felt nice.

"Well," I muttered, "if you ain't leaving, I'm not either."

We sat together. As time went by, the silence grew louder, and I could hear the garden. The flow of water, the clonk of bamboo. The autumn wind that blew across the grass. Every bird or bug. I could hear the difference between this and the indoors, the humming house behind us.

My eyes went to Itachi. He did not look much like a person at that moment, but like another part of nature. Every time the wind blew past his hair, it looked like he would blow away into nothing.

"Itachi," I said.

He glanced over to me.

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

"The dead," he said.

"EH?" I leaped back. What a creepy thing to be thinking of!

He seemed amused, and said, "The Autumn Festival _is_a celebratory festival for the dead, Ayae. Years ago, on this date, many people have lost their lives, and even more have mourned."

"But everyone is partying," I said, dumbly.

"Of course."

I did not understand. "But shouldn't we be-"

"Is it not better to laugh than cry? To rejoice with families, reunite with lost ones in happiness than in sorrow?"

I said nothing. My mom crossed my mind.

Itachi looked back at the moon "From an alternative light, even the blackest night sky shines bright. Life is sprouted from death. Innocence born from guilt." He turned to me, and smiled. "I wish your little friend a happy birthday."

Before I could ask what he was talking about, he had already stood up.

"Would you like for me to accompany you home?" he asked, extending a hand.

"Huh?"

"It is almost midnight. My family will be arriving soon."

My eyes widened. I did not realize it was that late.

"Nah, it's okay," I said, getting up. "I'll see you around?"

"Aa."

He disappeared into the house, and I walked home. At the door to my house, I realized something.

Did my dad not say home before eleven?

Ah, fishsticks.

As expected, when I opened the door, my dad was having a heart attack on the phone. "MY DAUGHTER IS MISSING."

"_Hold on. Restate your situation, and we will contact you within the next_-"

"I can't hold! It's an EMERGENCY."

"_Sir, calm down. Wait. Kenta, that you?_"

"She could be anywhere! She's _eight_."

"_Kenta?_"

"It's MIDNIGHT!"

"_It's only 12:15. During Konoha celebrations last the entire night._"

There was a yawn from the phone. My dad blabbed into the mouthpiece.

"_More than old enough to..._"

"I TOLD HER TO BE BACK BY-"

"_She forgot then. Listen, just call back later. There is a 48 hour missing policy and..._"

"Oh don't you dare hang up on me! Else I'm going down to the station myself and-"

"_Now relax, Kenta..._"

"Um, dad?"

"And I'll demand to speak with-"

"_Majority of the police are down at the festivals. I doubt anyone_-"

"MY DAUGHTER IS MISSING!"

"_Kenta, you just told me- forget it. Fine, I'll manage a file if you would stop shouting. Description of the missing_?"

"114 centimeters, brown eyes-"

"_With brown hair, wears pink or orange, face like her mother's, turned eight last summer, prettiest ballerina darling ever. Why do I even bother. You tell me about her every time I catch you at the station_." There was a sigh before the man on the phone muttered, "_I need tea.._."

"Dad!"

"Hold on, sweetie, I'm on the phone."

There was a silence, before my dad flung the phone and opened his arms. "SWEETIE, YOU'RE BACK!"

"_Wait, so you wasted my time for no-_" My dad hanged up and squeezed me blue.

I gave a nervous grin and began, "So. Nice to see you too, dad. Um, I'm going to go to my bed and sleep now and..." I started backtracking toward the stairs.

"Sure!" he said. "Remember to brush your teeth!"

I _thought_I was home free, when at the steps, he added, "Oh, by the way..."

"Grounded?"

"You bet."

I hung my head.


	9. Game Arc: To Find, To Lose

My punishment for missing curfew was bed before nine every day. My kunai kit was also taken away for two months. Ginjiro got upset that we could not practice in the park anymore. We had a system down and everything, with many made-up games.

Without my fake kunai, I tried to get some of the real ones in Itachi's scroll. But I still got a shock whenever I tried to touch. Whining, I put my finger in my mouth to stop the hurt.

From the kitchen, my dad called me down to dinner. Quickly, I tapped the edge of the scroll, and then stashed my scroll in my desk drawer. I wanted to keep the scroll hidden from dad, or else he might take that away too.

Downstairs, my dad was eyeballing a blender. He pressed the power button, and the blender pulverized everything inside.

"Perfecto!" he exclaimed. He uncapped the blender and held out the contents to me. "Take a whiff! It's creamy potato soup!"

I smelled it. "Hey, not bad," I said.

"With leaks, pork, mushrooms…"

"Sounds good."

"Squid, white vinegar, black vinegar, soba sauce, peaches, chopped liver, cucumbers, lentils, and, of course, salt! Or was it sugar. Right, it was sugar, but I fixed that by counteracting it with salt. Oh darn, I forgot the peppers…"

I clamped my hand over my mouth and ran outside. My dad had a teaspoon of his "soup" before he chugged down a tank of water.

The soup was a failed experiment. No matter how many times I told my dad that liver and peaches do not mix, he stubbornly believed that he would one day make a breakthrough. Until then, we settled for cup ramen.

When December came, I had locked myself in my room, studying. A big exam was coming up, and there was also no way I would let Ginjiro beat me in grades.

Still, studying was hard. I had trouble sitting still in a chair for a long time, so I laid out in my bed with the book, and changed positions often so my arms would not go numb or stiff.

I read a lot. About ninja world, about the Kages, about the ninja rules. I breezed through the enshrouding, finished the chapter on stealth all the way to survival. I read and read until my eyesight blurred and the ink started dancing. Then I started math. Five minute in, I slammed my head on the table.

The next morning was horrible. If Teacher Funeno's quizzes were killer, his exams were death. All the students were spaced out, two at a table. At the end of my table, Hana was scribbling away at the paper, flipping through one page after the next. I could not help but stare in awe. But then I looked down at my own paper, so I could not be cheating.

To my joy, I could answer all the questions on the first page. The second page asked me to write down the ninja rules 1 through 10. The first rule was easy: protect the village. I wrote that down. The second rule was also easy: respect everyone in the village. However, as the numbers got higher, I forgot more and more.

In the end, I decided to skip the ones I could not remember and go on to the multiple choice.

When I finished all the pages, I went back to the questions I skipped. I hit my head repeatedly, but I could not remember some of the rules. One of the ones I forgot was important too. I remembered there was a big star by it in my textbook. Finally, I gave up and wrote down a made up answer.

'Sharpen your weapons before you use it?'

'Practice a lot.'

'Always eat breakfast.'

My dad _did_always tell me to eat breakfast to be healthy. Done, I handed the exam in and scurried out the classroom.

Outside, Shisui slumped against the tree trunk. He was alone.

"Where's Itachi?" I asked.

"He had something important to attend to."

"Oh, okay."

Shisui and I both hit the pavement. As we walked to the dance studio, he asked me, "So how was school today, squirt?"

"I had a test," I said.

"How'd ya do?"

"Horrible! I could not remember three of answers."

"Have you tried IPMAT?"

"What?"

"Not there yet? Let me think..." He snapped his fingers. "Ninja rules!"

"Yeah."

"They aren't so bad."

"Say that to the three blanks on my page. Stupid rules!" I exclaimed, punching myself on the head.

Shisui laughed. "Okay, looks like you could use a Shisui trade secret. Listen, to ace these written exams, you just need to remember these funky mnemonics."

"Funky what?"

"Please remove the foot fungus from my toe." He stopped and counted his fingers, sounding off each syllable.

"Ew!"

He laughed. "Don't ya get it? Please. P. Protect. R. Respect. Move. Time. Finish. Forget. Gloat. Forfeit. Maintain. Together."

I blinked.

"Beginning of each letter..." Shisui led.

It took a while, but then I jumped up and down. "I get it! Rule number one begins with P. I get it!"

"Okay then. If you got it, recite! Let's see what you've got."

I hesitated at first, but then I became confident. "One, protect the village and those you love, no matter the cost. Two, get along with everybody. Three, keep on looking forward to the future. Four, _timing _is everything, time is not important. Five, keep on doing your duties to your best of what you've got. Six, forget the past or something like that. Seven… Protect, Respect, Move, Time, Finish… What does gloat mean?"

"Brag."

"Oh right. Seven, be proud and believe in your village. Eight, know when it is time to give in. Nine, it is important to steady and keep on becoming better. Ten. Everything is teamwork."

He patted me on my head. "Not bad. Eh, you improvised now and then, but you got the points down. Remember foot fungus, and you'll do fine."

"Did you HAVE to make it _foot fungus_?" I asked, disgusted. "Isn't that like the green stuff coming out of your foot?"

"How do _you_know what foot fungus is?"

I told Shisui about these two boys who hung around Ginjiro. They started eating with us girls, flinging food and grossing us out. Foot fungus had been talked about before, unfortunately.

"Ah. Well, the best thing about foot fungus is that you never _forget_foot fungus. You'll need them in your graduation exam."

I grimaced, but he was right. I did not stop thinking about the fungus for days!

Thankfully, after the exam was winter break. My dad's birthday passed. We spent the day cooking. He wanted to master the art of baking his own cake, and I played the assistant. We failed, and went over the Uchiha bakery instead.

As with all school breaks, I spent most days at Aunt Mikoto's since my dad had work. Aunt Mikoto would always say okay. She even knitted me a scarf, to keep me warm in the colder weather.

Sometimes Shisui would pop in, but I saw him less and less. He had "police crap." And even though I was practically living in Itachi's house, I saw little of him too. I eavesdropped on one of Aunt Mikoto's conversations with one of the other relatives, and learned Itachi was preparing for something called the Chuunin Exam.

I decided to use my time to prepare too. I focused on dance. Ms. Hyuuga had told me that there was a dance competition coming up.

"Now you say encore," I said, bowing in the living room.

"Un?"

"Say encore!"

"Jeez, squirt, encore, encore. No need to shout."

"Unko," Sasuke said, clapping his hands.

"_Encore_, not uncle. Oh, whatever. So how was it?"

"Very good."

"Thank you, Sasuke," I said, and bowed again. "What do you think, Shisui?"

"Eh, what was it that Itachi said before? Oh right, 'Ayae, your landing posture is atrocious. The center of gravity is unbalanced, and your eyes are fixated on the ground. Tilt your left foot 19 degrees clockwise.'"

My eye twitched. "Should I try the landing one more time then?" For the tenth time.

Shisui looked hesitant. "Um…"

"Um…" Sasuke copied.

"I think that's my mom calling. Yeah? What's that mom? Okay, I'll look for your spatula for you. Oh, more time? I'll clean that toilet too."

"Okay, okay, I get it!" I said. "Don't leave."

Sasuke whined. "He not going?"

"Yes, Shisui is staying with us, _right_?"

"His mommy calling him," Sasuke said grimly. "He should leave."

"Stay!"

"Leave!"

"Ignore him. You're staying."

"Bye bye!"

"If you stay, I'll stop dancing."

"If he not go, I leaving." Sasuke pouted and stalked off up the stairs, climbing the steps one at a time. Then he looked back and stuck his tongue at Shisui.

"I swear, he doesn't like me," Shisui said. "Is it because I smell bad or something?" Shisui sniffed his armpits.

I shrugged, and picked up the pieces of ribbons littered on the floor.

"I don't get why! I'm funny, and cool, and amazingly hot."

"Sure you are, Mr. Hotness. Pick up your foot?" He did and I snatched the ribbon he was stepping on. "Maybe he's just not used to you yet. Sasuke did not play with me either on the first day."

"Did he try to bite off your finger on the first day too?"

"Point taken."

Shisui crashed on the couch and fidgeted with one of Sasuke's toys.

I looked at the ribbon in my hand, and grew nervous. You know, my land _could _still use some work. I turned to Shisui. "How about-"

"Oh god, have mercy on me."

"Just _one_more time!" I begged.

Shisui hit himself with Sasuke's toy. "Your. Dance. Is. _Fine_. Squirt!"

"But maybe Itachi was right-"

"Well, he's wrong!"

"He's been wrong before?"

"Okay, no, but-"

"Eep!"

Before I knew it, a pair of hands covered my mouth.

"Mm mhm! MLET GO- Mmm!" I did not need to look up to know who was muffling me. I squirmed, and waved my fist. I _will _punch him if he did not let go.

"Dude, I'm sure the flirty thing is to cover her eyes, not her mouth," Shisui said, rubbing his chin.

"Shisui," Itachi said, "make sure she does not alert my mother."

"Ah, the old sneak in-n-out. Where were you all day? Apparently, you no longer live here."

"I've been busy," Itachi said, letting go of me.

I gasped for air. "You are _so_going to get it! Auntie's been worried sick for you! She says you were coming home so late every day!" I said.

"You won't even tell your best bud?" Shisui pleaded, giving the puppy dog eyes.

Itachi sighed. "You'll see at the Examination, if anything should develop from this." He turned to me. "Ayae, I ask you to remain silent?"

I glanced at the window. Aunt Mikoto was outside, trying to save flowers from the winter. "I won't tell…" I said.

Itachi nodded, and left for upstairs. He made no noise. In a few seconds, he came back with a backpack. He was going for the front door.

"You know, I wasn't done yet," I said. I took another glance out the window. I could see Aunt Mikoto clearly now.

Itachi turned to me. "You said you will not tell."

"Only if you tell me where you've been at," I said. I never knew where he was, or what he was doing.

Shisui whistled. "Now you're being a ninja, squirt. Always bargain."

"Cousin," Itachi warned.

"Eh? I'm not going to rat you out, buddy," said Shisui. "But don't count on me to stop her. She has girl germs!"

"Hey!" I said.

"Yes, hay is for horses."

"Hit him for me," Itachi said.

I did, before turning to find Itachi already gone.

"Ah, another rule of the ninja. Don't expect the opponent to give into your demands," Shisui said, grinning.

"Oh, shut up!"

From the garden, Aunt Mikoto entered the back door. She took off her apron and shoes, and said, "Itachi was just in here, wasn't he?"

Shisui and I laughed guiltily.

Surprisingly, Aunt Mikoto did not look upset. Instead, she smiled, presented a bento, and asked if we wanted to play a game.

The "game" turned out to be hide and seek. Itachi was hiding, and Shisui and I were seeking. Whoever found Itachi and gave him his lunch won. Shisui was out the door when he learned the reward was Mikoto's cooking. He had not eaten since his mom tried an all-vegetarian diet for the family, so he would do anything for good food.

The only problem was that Konoha was _really_big. We ran everywhere, but Itachi was not in the dumpling shop, he was not by the pond, he was not at the police station.

I gasped, out of breath. My cheeks where all rosy from the wind. "Doncha think… he would… be at a training place?" I asked.

"Maybe," Shisui said, "but there are hundreds of training places."

"Do you know which one?"

"It would be amazingly helpful if I did, wouldn't it?"

I groaned. For hours, we found moved from training field to training field, passing through grass and trees and streams. Shisui said that Itachi must be at a private field, and one hidden well.

As we walked through training fields, I wondered if I could play with Gin here. The park was nice, but there were sometimes too many people. When I asked Shisui about it, he said that the grounds were only for ninjas only.

We walked some more. Once or twice, we saw real ninjas practicing, but Shisui led me away from them. He told me to not disturb others when training, because I might shock them or cause an accident.

Finally, we reached a boulder. Shisui sighed. "You know, this might be easier if we split up. I'll take the left, you can take the right. It'll cover more area. Think you can go straight that way and come right back here without getting lost, squirt?"

"I can handle it," I said.

"Remember, go straight and come back here in thirty minutes. Oh, and like I said, you see or hear any ninjas, go around them."

"Okay. No problem."

"Thirty minutes," he said again. Then he swung up a branch, and hopped out of sight.

Meanwhile, I went right. There were more fields, bordered by trees. Along the way, two ninjas were fighting. Their fight moved closer to me, so I turned to the trees to go around them.

I tried to be at least ten meters away from the ninjas, and went deeper into the woods, hopping over a fallen log. I grimaced at the moss and wipe my hands on my pants. Through the bushes and branches, I saw bugs and crawlers too, and skipped around those.

Soon enough, I saw a clearing of fields again. I was glad I circled back into the fields. I looked ahead and saw no sign of Itachi, so I thought it might be time to head back. I blinked, wondering which way was back. I was not going back through the woods again.

I thought of a map. I had started with right, and the trees were on my left. I turned left into the woods at the ninjas, then circled back to the fields. So if I turned right, then went straight, I would be back at my meeting place! Wait. Which way was right again? Left hand, right hand… That way!

On my way, I thought I would see the ninjas again. I planned to circle them the _other_way this time, around the fields. But I did not see them. They must have finished and left.

After a while, I looked for the boulder. I tiptoed and saw no boulder ahead. I sighed, and ran.

When I ran out of breath, there was _still _no boulder. I panicked, and looked back. Why did it take so much longer to get back? Confused, I walked a little further.

Then I stopped.

"Ah, crap."

The woods stretched over the field, looping. A dead end.

"Okay, this is _not_the right way," I muttered. A breeze came, and I zipped my jacket and wrapped my scarf. I looked around, but the Konoha buildings were nowhere in sight. I would go back the way I came, but I did not have time. Shisui said thirty minutes.

So, I crouched down and drew a map in the dirt. In the end, I decided the best way back was to cut through the woods again.

About halfway in, I thought my plan was stupid, and cursed as the woods got thicker. But it was too late to go back, so I went further, going around the bugs and branches.

After tripping over a root for the third time, I saw a clearing ahead. Victory!I ran to meet Shisui and apologize for being late.

However, when I reached the clearing, I saw this was not the right place. There were burned trees and uplifted dirt. The clearing was a big circle where no grass grew. Yet, by luck, it just so happen that the person in the middle of the circle was the person I was looking for.

"Itachi!"

Itachi spun around.

I could not believe it. I ran closer, waving. But then I stopped. Itachi was not alone.

Suddenly, there was flash of iron. A kunai hit the dirt before my foot. Shocked, I stumbled back. The kunai was real, the metal gleaming in the sun.

I realized I was in a different world. The wind blew, and trees whispered warnings. Something told me to get out of here, but I stood, numb.

I could not see much of the fight. It was a giant blur, with sounds that did not match. Then there was an explosion of dust and debris. I covered my head until it was clear. Even with the dust, the fighting did not stop.

That was, until I heard a sickening crack. Itachi's back hit a tree so hard that the tree trunk had a crater.

A man walked up to Itachi. It was his dad.

My eyes widened when he punched Itachi in the stomach, then kicked him back into the clearing. Even this far away, I saw the cuts in Itachi's skin. There was blood from his lips.

He tried to get up, but fell back down.

"Pathetic." His dad picked him by his shirt. Itachi faced him, but said nothing and did nothing. That made his dad mad. He threw Itachi back into the ground. "I told you to come at me with _intent to kill_. Get up."

Before he could hit Itachi again, I screamed.

Itachi's dad turned to me. I stumbled back until I fell down. My legs were shaking. My heart was pounding. I was afraid, and the closer Itachi's dad came to me, the more afraid I got. "What are you doing here? You are a distraction."

"Ayae, leave!"

My eyes fell to Itachi. He sounded cold. Mad. But then, his eyes locked onto mine. He looked worried. He looked scared. His nails dug into the dirt, as he tried to get up.

A hand grabbed me, and my eyes snapped back to his dad. I tried to squirm away, but his grip was strong. I screamed and hit him, so he would let me go.

There was the sound of a slap. I froze. Then, I began to feel the burn on my face. It hurt. It hurt really badly. My eyes got watery.

"Proper kunoichi do not cry." He lifted his hand again. I closed my eyes, cringing, but the blow never came. When I opened my eyes, Itachi stood in front of me, blocking the hand with the middle of his arm.

"Father, the fight is between us."

There was a kunai in his other hand.

"Are you serious, then?" Itachi's dad was gone.

The next second, I felt myself pulled back, something cool and sharp against my neck. My breathing hitched, and I made myself not swallow.

I looked to Itachi out of helplessness. I could not tell was he was thinking. In his eyes were surprise, fear, and anger. The emotions swirled with one another until his eyes glassed over and went red. He was gone.

I did not realize I was already free. I could only stand, alone in a clearing, surrounded by sounds of metal against metal, thuds and wind. I looked, and sometimes caught blurs.

Then, the fight came to a stop, with a sword and two kunai locked together.

"Perfect." Itachi's dad smiled.

Itachi stared back. Without looking away, he told me, "Ayae, leave."

His voice was cold. So cold that I shivered.

I listened. I turned around and ran away, not looking back. I did not care where I went, only tried to go as far as I could. Whenever I tripped, I picked myself up and kept running, ignoring the scratches or bugs or dirt.

Finally, I could not run anymore, and fell against a tree. My hand went to my neck again, still feeling the blade. I wrapped my scarf around my neck to protect myself. Then, I curled up into a ball and hugged the jacket I wore. I wiped my eyes a few times, but the tears kept coming, so I gave up and sobbed into my knees.

I did not notice there was someone coming until I heard branches crunching. I backed further into the tree, scared again.

"Gee, why are you crying, squirt?" Shisui asked, scratching his head. "At least with your bawling, I found ya."

"Shisui!" I cried, and hugged him. I had never been so glad to see him in my life. He was taken aback and patted my head cautiously.

Then he noticed something wrong and swatted down next to me. His eyes went wide. "How did _that_happen?" he asked, looking at my cheek.

I could not make words to tell him, so I cried into his chest. In the end, he carried me home. I fell asleep in his arms.

I woke up to a lot of shouting.

Dizzy, I opened my eyes. I saw a blurry Aunt Mikoto next to me, wiping me with a wet towel.

"Auntie?" There was another person pacing in the living room. "Dad?"

They both stopped talking to each other, and looked at me.

"Honey!" My dad ran to me, and starting asking me a billion questions. Aunt Mikoto shushed him, and the room went quiet.

She cradled my head and brought me to her chest in a hug. "Ayae dear, are you okay?"

I did not know what to say, but I felt comforted in her arms. I nodded.

Smiling, she kissed me on the forehead, and went back to cleaning my hands. My palms stung whenever the towel touched. I had scrapped them badly in the woods.

There were cuts on my knees and elbows, too, from the falls. I was covered in dirt, grime, and moss. My clothes were dirtied and torn. My backpack was against the couch, next to me. But the backpack was open, food spilling out from the lunch box. Rice and beans were on the floor.

My head hurt too, and my eyes were dry.

After Aunt Mikoto cleaned me, she rubbed cream on my wounds, and then bandaged everything. "Does anywhere still hurt?" she asked soothingly.

I shook my head. I was stiff, and my hands stung a bit, but I was okay.

"Would you like anything to eat or drink?"

I shook my head again.

"How about water?"

I realized my throat was dry, so I said, "Okay."

Aunt Mikoto came back with a glass of water, but my hands were weak and shaking as I held the glass. She brought the glass to my lips instead.

When I finished drinking, she knelt by me and asked, "Tell me, Ayae dear, what happened out there today?"

I looked down. "We… I got lost. And… and... and I saw him."

"Who did you see?"

"I-Itachi…"

Her lips thinned. "Did my husband do that to you?" she asked softly, stroking my face.

I flinched.

"Yes," I said, looking into her eyes and begging she would keep the scary man away.

She smiled reassuringly, and hugged me again. The glass in her hands had cracked.

Suddenly, the front door slid open.

"Aunt Mikoto! I found him!" Shisui shouted.

Aunt Mikoto gasped. In Shisui's arms was Itachi, covered in dirt and blood.

"Hurry! He's dangerously low on chakra!" Shisui said.

My dad ran over. "We need to get him to a hospital!"

Aunt Mikoto stood up. "Where is his father?"

"I don't know! I found him alone and unconscious in the woods. I think he left his father to search for her."

"Ayae?"

"Ayae dear!"

"Ayae! Honey, can you hear me….?"

I could hear him, but I had fell to the floor before I could say, "Yes."

.

I curled up in my bedroom, hugging Utako. After the day in the woods, I stayed inside all day, every day. Even when winter break was over and school started, I did not go.

My dad skipped work to comfort me. I was glad he did, but I spent my time by myself in my room. I had nothing to tell him.

Aunt Mikoto came over often. She stayed to help with cooking and cleaning, and to keep my dad company. The first few days when I could not sleep, she read me a story or sang me a lullaby. She was around so often it felt like she lived here. Sasuke did not like staying at our house at first, but after a while, he went for our T.V.

Shisui showed up often too. I liked Shisui, but he got annoying, especially when he tried to get me to go to school.

"You know, you have to go back to school _eventually_."

"Go away, Shisui, if you have no reason to be here," I said.

"On the contrary, I have a perfectly almost decent purpose to be here." From his pockets, I took out a crumbled paper ball. "I saw your detention buddy outside the district. He told me to give this to ya."

But Shisui did not give it to me. I reached, but he kept it away, teasingly.

"Give me!" I said, and he tossed it to me. I unwrinkled the note.

'Ayae where r u? everyone is wondering what happened to u because u did not come to school. R u still sick? get better soon or else u'll miss praktis! it was fun and we can work on it at the park. if u get better, come to the park saturday okay? i'll show u how! Gin.

'Ayae! What's wrong?! Why aren't you here in class? Teacher _already_starting the next lesson. Well, it was easy stuff so I bet you'll do fine. Here's the hoemwork. It's the textbook, 78. Just read it until the end. Math is page 144. I don't remember if there is anything else. Hope you get better! ~Tamaki. P.S. You, me, shopping, Friday, marketplace, clothing distict no. 3. Got it?

'Hope you feel better Ayae! We miss you. Come eat ramen when you are good. Dai and Setsu say hi and hope you get better too. - Ayame.

'Ayae, Tamaki told me to write on this note so you have the full homework. It's History: worksheet. Beginners: 67-68, 70-73, 78, in order is each days you miss. Math: 143-144. Skills: I'll tell you later. Heads up, quiz Friday. And also, our team is now in 3rd place because we got beat by table seven. Get well soon so we can get our 2nd place title back. Minoji can't learn for his life. At least you get the stuff after a while. Hana.'

I wrote down the homework problems. Then, I wrote on the back of the note and crumbled it again. "Shisui, can you give this to Gin?"

"Or_you_can when you go back to school tomorrow!"

I moaned and pulled the covers over my head.

"Get out of bed!"

"I'm sick."

"No, you're not! Now get out!"

"No."

"Come on!"

"No."

"If you get up, I'll get you some of the famous-Uchiha-grandpapa-specialty-hot-spice-drink! "

"I hate tea."

"How did you know the famous-Uchiha-grandpapa-specialty-drink was tea?"

"Because that's _all _this clan drinks."

"Oh. Wait, how can you _not_like tea? Give me one reason why it's not good."

"It's nasty, it's bitter, and it's boiling hot. Now, go away, Shisui. I'm going to bed."

Shisui would not give up. He thought of something.

"You know, squirt, Itachi might have woken up by now. The hospital allows visitors until six. It's five now, _so..._" he sang.

I pushed the covers off me and went to the bathroom for a shower.

After I cleaned up, I went with Shisui downstairs. In the living room, my dad and Aunt Mikoto were talking over tea. They were surprised that I had decided to leave my room. I told them that I would like to go outside. My dad was so happy, and said he would come along. I said I wanted to just go with Shisui.

The trip was quick. Shisui and I jogged, since we had less than an hour left. Soon, I saw a building with wide glass doors and the words Konoha Hospital. I ran in first.

The hospital smelled bad, like medicine. I wrinkled my nose, and went to the counter. I tiptoed and asked the nurse, "Which way to Itachi?"

At the name, she got jumpy. "Pardon?"

"Itachi! Which room?" I said, impatient.

"Are you referring to Uchiha… Itachi?" she asked, cautious.

"Yes!"

"Um, I am sorry, little girl, but visits to him are restricted on behalf of…"

"Oh, cut us a break with the formality. This is his cousin," Shisui said when he walked in.

"Shisui!" The nurse knew Shisui and smiled. She told us upstairs, last door on the left. I rushed upstairs. The last door on the left was closed. But when I tested the handle, it opened.

I peeked in. The room was quiet. Shisui walked beside me, and patted me on the back to go on.

The room had many beds, but only one was used. Itachi was sleeping. Carefully, I walked forward, and watched him breathe. Bangs covered most of his face, and bandages covered the rest. There was an IV needle in one of his arms. I cringed and looked away, scratching my own arm.

"He isn't breathing right," I told Shisui. Itachi's chest was rising up and down strangely.

Shisui got me a chair and joked, "He's asleep, squirt. You can't control your breathing when you're asleep, dummy."

I sat in the chair, and watched Itachi some more. "Why isn't he up?" I asked. "Doesn't he know we are here?"

"Maybe we just have to wait a little longer."

I sat and waited. In the silence, I felt my heart drop. I asked, "Why so long? Why isn't the medicine helping him? I thought medicine makes you better."

"Medicine is helping him, squirt. You just have to be patient. When someone is low on chakra, he gets super tired and sleepy. We just have to wait for the chakra to come back."

I bit my lips and looked at the hospital floor. "Okay," I said.

I did not know why I started to rub my eyes, or why my eyes started to get wet again, but Shisui caught me.

"Hey, are you _crying_?"

"No."

He leaned closer, and I wiped my eyes again. "You are!"

"No, I'm n-not." My voice cracked. I could not stop the tears from coming.

Shisui jumped to his toes, and started going through the cabinets for a box of tissues. "Oi, don't- you can't- Gah! Here! Stop crying!" He dangled a tissue in front of me.

"I told you, I am not crying!" I blew into the tissue. "I'm not sad!" I took ten more tissues and used them to dry my eyes, then looked at Shisui. "I'm _scared_," I cried. "I'm scared Itachi won't wake up! Then, it'd all be my fault!"

Shisui was frantic, buried in a stack of tissues and waving his arms. "What! No, no, _no_, don't even think that! This was just a bad accident, how can you think it's your-"

"Because!" I looked at the tissues in my hands, and broke down. "B-because, I ran away. I knew Itachi was hurt, but I ran away."

"Squirt, there was _nothing_you could have done in that situation. You got involved in something out of your control, and you did the right thing by leaving."

I shook my head. "No."

"Itachi would have wanted you to-"

I shook my head more. "No."

"Squirt-"

"Shisui," I said quietly. "If I were hurt badly, and I saw you there, I would not want to be left alone. If said anything different, I'd be lying."

Shisui said nothing.

I buried into my knees. "Itachi needed me, but I left him. I am a bad friend."

The door opened. The nurse came and shooed us out, since visiting hours were over.

I wanted to go back to my room and lock myself inside again.

However, when I got to the door of my house, I heard yelling. Shisui and I looked at each other. Shisui cracked open the door, and peeked in.

"How dare you show your face here! How _dare_you?"

"Mikoto, calm down," my dad said, before he turned to Itachi's dad. "How _dare_you come into my house after what you have done!"

Itachi's dad caught my dad's fist. "Relax, Mr. Kenta. I did not come here to start a fight."

"Have you come to apologize?"

"No," Itachi's dad said, and threw my dad's hand aside. "Also, I can charge you with assault of an officer, but I'll overlook it. I did say I came here for peace."

My dad went red with anger, but Aunt Mikoto stepped in. "Kenta, he's not worth it."

My dad breathed, and his chest inflated. Then, he pointed to the door. "If you are not here to apologize, then _get out_of my house."

"Mr. Kenta, this is Uchiha property. I have permission to enter to any residence I wish, without constraint."

"I don't care about _permission. _Get out, or I'll force you out!"

"Mr. Kenta, if you have not noticed, I am a shinobi, and you are a mere citizen. You have no force against me."

"Fugaku," Aunt Mikoto began, "if you do not leave Kenta's home…"

"Stay out of this, woman," Itachi's dad said. "We will discuss what is necessary at home."

Aunt Mikoto was hurt. My dad had enough, and went into another room. When he came back, my eyes widened. Shisui's jaw dropped.

"Is that a-" Shisui choked.

"I am giving you until ten to leave out of my house," my dad said, his voice flat. "If you do not leave, I am giving this flamethrower a test drive." He switched on a button on the big, scary machine in his hand.

"Your dad has a _flamethrower_?" Shisui whispered to me.

"He- It- I- maybe?" I said. "I don't know what he does at his work."

"Where does he work?"

"I don't know!" I said. "Konoha Del something. I think it began with an U. Or was it… hm."

"_Konoha Ninja Tool Research Facility's Department of Secretive and Deadly Military Weapons_?" Shisui said, squinting at the label on my dad's flamethrower.

"Yeah, that!"

Shisui stared at me. "And suddenly, I just gained a whole lot respect for your father."

"Oh, thank you! You know, he also made the future ball and the little froggy. I'll show you once the coast is clear."

We went back to eavesdropping. Aunt Mikoto had wrestled the flamethrower away from my dad, thankfully. Else, our house would have burned down.

"I can't believe you got your own son into the hospital!" my dad said.

"It was necessary," Itachi's dad said.

"He was _eight_. It was _child abuse_!"

"Mr. Kenta, you are being overly dramatic. There were reasons behind my actions, and everything would have been under control had my son not made the foolish decision to leave in his condition."

"I do not blame Itachi for leaving a father who would beat him until he's unconscious."

Itachi's dad was not happy. I backed up into Shisui, wanting to run away again.

"Uchiha Kenta, exactly _what_are you insinuating?"

"I think you know perfectly," my dad said.

"No. I do not," Itachi's dad said. "If you are questioning my parenting skills, I shall be blunt: you shall have no interference. If you are questioning the condition of my child, I suggest you brush up on basic shinobi codes. If you are questioning me personally, I shall tell you that no matter what you tell me, I have no guilt of what I have done."

My dad stared at him for a long time, his hands clenched. "You are a sadistic bastard."

"And you are an idiotic fool."

"Madman."

"Idealist."

"Go and burn in hell!"

"If you are to throw insults, at least make them meaningful. I can get you arrested for harassment."

"Fine, arrest me! At least I will go to jail knowing I do not harm children!"

"And I will rest comfortably at home knowing I do not baby them."

They lashed out, raising their voices, both ready to attack. I was waiting for the fight. I hoped my dad would beat him up. The fight never happened.

"ENOUGH!"

Aunt Mikoto got everyone to shut up. She stood still, staring at her husband.

"Mikoto-" my dad said.

She held her hand out and spoke, her voice hardened and low. "Kenta, shut your mouth. His threats are not empty, and I do not want to burn down the station, nor demand any release forms. Your concern is improperly placed. Worry for your own daughter and _stay out of my family's business_."

She then wiped the smirk off her husband's face.

"And _you,_" she said. "I have entrusted my son to you. All these years, I have stayed out of your discipline methods, buried my calamities, and forfeited my own flesh and blood to you as part of my duty to this marriage. I have watched my son grow up, knowing nothing about him. I have abandoned him, and failed as a proper mother. But starting today, this ends. If you hurt him like this again, if you dare lay another hand on that little girl again, I am not sparing any mercy on you."

"What are you saying?"

"I am filing for divorce."

"Mikoto!" my dad said.

"It is not permitted," Itachi's dad said. He sounded angry, but he looked scared.

"I will plead with the Hokage."

"He won't. You can't."

"Watch me."

Before I could hear or see anything more, Shisui pulled me away from the door. "Adults are funny, aren't they?"

"What-"

"Come on, let's go to my house, and share an all vegetarian and nutritiously gross diet!" he said and dragged me along despite my struggling.

I did not understand. Shisui was laughing, but I felt there was something wrong.

.

"This has got to be the worst food I have ever eaten," I said.

My eye twitched at the bowl of raw vegetables in front of me. I did not even like cooked vegetables, let alone raw ones. Leaves just sat there, in a bowl, with carrots, all nasty and covered in vinegar.

Shisui called it, "rabbit food." He used his fingers to make bunny ears above his head.

Gods, the food was awful. I could not tell Shisui's mom that though. She was weird at times, but she was nice to me. So I banged my head on the table, wondering how I could make my bowl disappear. It would be rude to Shisui's mom to leave the bowl full.

I looked around, and then dumped my food down Shisui's bowl.

"Hey!"

"Hay is for horses," I said, sticking my tongue out.

"Horses don't eat rabbit food!"

"Shisui, Ayae baby, what are you kids talking about now? Of course horses don't eat rabbits. They eat hay!" Shisui's mother said, carrying another big bowl of…

Gods.

Please, no more green!

It could not be helped. My dad had to go back to work, and Aunt Mikoto had shut the doors to her house. So, between eating rabbit food all day at Shisui's or going back to school, I chose school. Anything to get away from the vegetables.

At school, all my friends asked me why I was gone for so long. I lied and said I caught a cold. Hearing that, Ayame made me homemade chicken soup, which I shared with Shisui.

Meanwhile, at home, my dad and Itachi's dad fought so often, the clan elder stepped in. The elder told them both to behave. I ran away from their adult stuff, and locked myself in my room, trying to catch up on homework. I studied and studied, until I got news that Itachi woke up.

As soon as I heard that, I grabbed the basket in my room and ran to the hospital.

I had spent all my allowance on a get-well gift for him. There were chocolates and boxes of desserts, toys, books, and a card. Everything was wrapped in a big bow that I had tied myself. The bow was a little uneven and lopsided, but I hoped that he would like it.

In the hospital room, I tackled Itachi in a hug. I sat by him, and asked if he was okay, and told him everything that he had missed out on, from school to the horrible rabbit food.

However, as I blabbed on, I realized he was not listening. He did not look at me. He did not talk back. Even his eyes were blank.

I thought maybe it was the medicine.

Days later, I learned Itachi could walk again. I ran to the hospital room, hoping he would be okay.

He did talk to me then.

"Ayae, leave my life. I do not wish to see you again." He walked past without looking at me once. Then he closed the door behind him, and left with his family.

I stood in the hospital room, confused. Then, I saw my basket by the window. My lopsided bow was still there. He never opened it.

I ran to the hallways, but he was already gone. No matter where I looked from that day on, I could not find him again. I did not even know that I had lost a friend until it was too late.

The one time I heard anything of him was toward end of my third year. Within the clan, there was gossip about Chuunin Exams and divorce papers.

One day, when I was buying some buns from the Uchiha desert shop, the auntie saw me and asked if I would support Itachi at the Chuunin Exam. I asked her what that was, and she was surprised that I did not know. I learned the Chuunin Exam was a battle tournament. She said fantastic things happened there.

When I got home, I asked my dad if I could go. I could not. Tickets were expensive, and you needed to know people to get in. It did not matter, though, because I heard that Itachi could not take the Exam.

That was Aunt Mikoto's revenge. She had spoken to the Hokage. Itachi's dad had worked so hard to get Itachi into the Exam, but now, Itachi could not go until he was ten. Otherwise, their marriage was over, and Mikoto would leave with Sasuke.

I did not understand. Whenever I asked Shisui about the gossip, he would go, "Huh?" or "Whatcha muttering about, squirt?"

There was little other news about Itachi. I heard he went on a mission in Snow, while Shisui and the rest of the team took the Chuunin Exam. Shisui won first place.

I was surprised, since Shisui had always been a big goof in my heart. Still, everyone praised him, and called him Shisui of the Body Flicker. He got the name after a cool stunt he pulled in his final match, in which he put together super speed with illusions to make an epic finale.

Time passed, and I felt pressured to do something great too. My grades were average, and the closest I came to winning was my dance competition. I got fourth place.

Toward the end of my third year, our grade had a special history class. We went to the top roof to study the Hokage monuments. Teacher Suzume and Teacher Funeno took turns talking about the Hokage, when suddenly, the _real_Hokage popped in.

He was an old man, with white hair and a white beard. He wore cool robes and smoked a pipe, though for our sake, he pocketed his pipe. Then he congratulated everyone for making past our first true shinobi year of school, and talked about things like goals and dreams. He took the time to get everyone's names, and made us promise him one thing. To love, and to protect those you love. That was the first and foremost duty of a ninja.

One kid's hand shot up. "If I do, does that mean I can become the Hokage too?"

The Hokage chuckled. "If you place in enough determination and effort, that is likely. Who knows, the next Hokage might be someone in this very class."

That got everyone excited.

"_And_before any of you kids get too caught up, remember you have to take one step at a time. There are no shortcuts to being a ninja, and you will have to face every obstacle head on! Including passing my not-so-popping pop quiz tomorrow!" Teacher Funeno laughed.

My class groaned.

"Heh, good luck, Ayae. You'll need it," Ginjiro said, poking me.

"Shut up."

"Says the one who scored a point lower than me on the test."

I slammed his cap down his face. "I'll get you next time."

"Sure you will."

After the history lesson, we went back to class, had lunch, and then learned hand signs. I met up with Shisui after school, and we talked about ways to live off bread sticks until his mom got common sense and stopped making us eat green stuff.

For a long time, though, I thought about the Hokage's words, and I thought about Itachi. I realized, painfully, that I had not been a good friend, or a good ninja. I wished I could have gone back in time, and stayed with Itachi. Maybe stopped him from getting hurt.

But I could not go back, and Itachi was gone.


	10. Exam Arc, Part I: A New Boy

Hot air blew against my back. To make it worse, the sun was merciless. Getting up from my stiff squat, I dashed to a tree for shade and crouched down again. I kept my eyes focused.

Where was he?

Hm.

"Pst. Twelve O'clock."

I spun around. "Oh, phew. It's you."

"Thought I was someone else?" Hana asked.

"No. Damn heat's getting to me. Where?"

"There."

I scanned the area. A group huddled together. They were hidden behind the bushes, but I made out the red cap nestled on top of someone's head.

"Should we ambush 'em?" I asked Hana.

She tied her hair into a tighter ponytail. "We have only about six more minutes. Maybe it's wise to wait."

"It's too hot," I said, impatient to sit still.

"How many belts have you got?"

From my pockets, I pulled out two belts. "You?"

"Five, including mine."

"Sweet!" I said. We slapped a high-five.

"Therefore, we should wait," she said. "I see five of them and two of us. We'll lose eight belts if we fail. Why don't we just claim our victory and wait it out."

"Great, except we aren't winning."

"_What_?"

"We aren't winning. Ayame's beaten. So that just leaves you, me, and Tamaki. I say we move. Let's go." I moved away from the tree.

We circled the field, stalking out prey. No one had heard us yet. Hana and I exchanged a nod.

"ATTACK!"

I tackled down one boy. Our bodies crashed into a second boy. While the boys on the ground were shocked, I grabbed their belts. Meanwhile, Hana gave her opponents a chance. She counted to three, then rammed into one boy and rolled in the dirt, wrestling for the belt.

"RUN! It's the crazy girls!"

"Oh, come on, boys. Stop being wussies," Hana said, dodging a punch. She extended a foot, and her opponent tripped. As he tumbled over, she pulled his belt away.

"Hey, Minoji, give me your belt, and I'll let you leave in one piece," I said. "Because you had a _lot_of nerve to bully Ayame like that."

He backed away. "She tripped by herself!"

I blinked. "Oh. I thought- never mind."

"Minoji, just give us your belt before we get nasty," Hana sighed.

Minoji tossed it and ran away. The beaten guys ran off as well, cursing.

"Got two."

"Two here."

"Hell yeah! That was way easier tha- Oh sh-"

My face planted flat the ground. Dizzy, I sent my fist up to my attacker. He caught it, and I felt my arm bend back.

"Ow OW! Stop that!" I screamed, kicking.

Ginjiro pinned me to the ground. I slapped myself for not noticing his disappearance during the ambush. Damn.

"You lose."

"HANA!" When my plea was unanswered, I looked up. She was surrounded by four boys.

"Oh _shit_. HANA RUN!"

"What. Do you. Think. I'm _trying _to do?" She dealt a blow. Through the confusion, she pushed one boy aside and ran off. They chased her, leaving me alone with Mr. Red Cap.

I tried to escape, but failed. Seeing as I had no choice, I did the only thing that came to mind. I head butted him.

Our skulls collided. He fell back, his cap falling off.

"Oh-"

"My-"

"GODS, THAT HURT."

"You are _crazy_!" he said.

"Maa got leass you off." I shook my head, then flipped up. "Fight for it?" I asked, going into battle position.

Grinning, he did the same, and adjusted the cap on his head. "I've got six," he told me smugly.

"Five. But once you lose, you'll have nada," I taunted.

I charged. When Gin moved out of the way, I did a ballet spin skin. My foot hit something heavy. One poof of smoke later, I saw I kicked a log.

"Hey, no fair! Since when can you do that!" I shouted. "Subs haven't even been introduced yet!"

"Thought I'd surprise ya." The voice behind me shut up when I jutted out an elbow.

We fought until we heard the whistle. I cursed, within touch of his belt. Calling it a truce, once again, Gin and I left for the center field.

Teacher Funeno was waiting for everyone in center field. We were the first ones to arrive.

When Funeno saw us, he shook his head. "Again, Ginjiro? Ayae? The goal is to capture each other's belts."

"We did," we said, showing him our stashes.

"In _stealth_."

We laughed sheepishly.

Funeno sent us to the bathroom to clean up. We dropped my collection of belts, and raced to the school building.

"Guys won," Gin bragged.

"Not after that humiliating defeat two minutes ago."

"You're probably the only girl left. Admit it, girls lost."

"You forget Hana."

"Four against one? She got no chance."

"It's Hana. You wimps got no chance," I said. "And don't forget Tamaki."

"Thought she lost already."

"Hell no!"

At the school, I headed to the girl's bathroom, while he went down the other hallway.

I splashed my face. In my mirror, I looked horrible, with twigs and mud all over. And a bloody nose. Before I left, I made sure my nose stopped bleeding. I did not want to risk a gusher, so I stole a roll of paper and stuffed it in my humongous pant pockets.

When we got back to the fields, all the students had gathered. Funeno announced the total belts of each team.

Girls won. In addition my belts and Hana's belts, Tamaki also got three, coming out of the adventure spotless. Another girl also hid the entire time, adding one more. Finally, to break the tie, Dai showed with two more after beating the boy who dared steal hers.

I gloated and celebrated, handing high-fives all over.

After school, I caught a face I did not think I would see in a while.

"Shisui!" I called.

Shisui waved back, ice cream cone in hand. Before he could protest, I snatched the cone from him.

"Long time no see, squirt."

Ever since Shisui's mission in Suna, we had had no contact. His escort mission took a whole month, though the job was easy.

In a month, Shisui had not changed much, though I knew he wanted a Suna tan to impress a certain girl totally out of his league. He was as pale as ever. My dad aside, no one in our clan had ever gotten a sunburn or tan. Unfortunately for Shisui, Kurenai had already ditched her old boyfriend for a new one.

"So, how's it going? The mission any good?" I asked, licking my ice cream.

"Eh, sandy. Came back early." He waved the topic away. "How's the academic building of torture? They fixed the air conditioning yet?"

"Yeah _right_. Those lazy asses haven't even bothered. So now we just bake in the fields all day. Played flag race."

"Ah, I remember those. How many did ya steal?"

"Five."

"Only five? I'm disappointed. I could have gotten at least ten."

"Oh, shut up," I said, and shoved him a bit. When I finished my ice cream, I unzipped my backpack and tossed to Shisui a pair of ballet shoes and a stack of books. "Since you're here, make yourself useful, will you? Carry those?"

"Hey! What am I? Your slave?" He juggled as I piled more things on top.

"Yes. Now be a good slave and carry those. My backpack's heavy since my scroll stopped working. You would have _known_had you not went to play hero in Suna."

"I thought I fixed your scroll a while back?"

"My scroll exploded, and then burned all my books _and_homework. Then the police came," I said, deadpanned. "Apparently, _somebody_didn't do the sealing technique right."

Shisui laughed nervously. I emitted an evil aura. My room had burned walls, shattered window, and oh, a missing roof. It had been a miracle that I was unhurt, but I still had to scrub ashes out of my hair with five showers and ten bottles of shampoo. Thankfully, my clan took care of the damages, sans the roof.

I did not get upset over redoing my homework, or having bird poop on my damn carpet because of the missing roof. No, I was upset that while the police tried to time reverse my closet, I had nothing to wear for a week.

Shisui owed me a big shopping spree. He pretended to not understand the phrase, "Compensation for idiocy," and humored instead me with his adventures in Suna. He got me a fan as a souvenir. Shisui also got me something else.

"Before I forget, here. I got these for ya," he said, handing me two pieces of paper.

"What are they?"

"Tickets. To the fall Chuunin Exam."

"Oh, cool. But why?"

"Well, Itachi's been released…"

I froze.

"And, well, he'll be in it."

I stood in place, my foot glued to the pavement. I stared at him like he had two heads.

"You know, he passed, and it would be great if you would go and support him? You know, in the finals? Uh, squirt? You okay?"

It took some time. A _long_time, before I got over my shock.

I handed the tickets back to Shisui with more force than needed. I paused, then opened my mouth, then closed it when I could not find the words I wanted. Finally, I said, "Shisui, I haven't seen Itachi in two years. He's your friend, but he's not mine anymore. You can keep those."

Shisui did not let the topic drop. "You're still upset with him, aren't you?"

"I'm not upset. I just think that if Itachi doesn't want to see me, it wouldn't be right for me to see him." I was surprised by how smoothly those bitter words rolled off my tongue, and quickened my pace. Shisui caught up and handed the tickets back.

"No refunds. And come on, squirt, you can't really believe that. Itachi misses you."

"No, he doesn't," I said.

"Yes, he does, and he needs your support. So go or give the tickets to someone else. But I ain't taking them back."

I looked at him hard, trying to figure out how sincere Shisui was.

Not sincere at all, as he shrugged. "And regardless, Itachi can't avoid you there. Just sayin'."

I pointed at him. "Aha! That proves me right. Itachi _is_still avoiding me, thus he doesn't want to see me, therefore I don't either, thus I'm not going!"

Shisui raised an eyebrow, and decided to play along. "But why would he possibly intentionally avoid someone for so long for the sake of an unpleasant encounter. In fact, he is deriving more satisfaction from your stress out over this trivial issue of not being able to see him, which only point to the fact that you _do _wish to see him, and said hypothesis can be proven by your statement above, which I quote, "He doesn't want to see me, therefore, I don't either," implying that the only reason you are keeping up with this charade of not wishing to see him isn't because you do not wish to, but because of your belief that _he_does not wish to. Because any set of induction skills can successful conclude _you really do want to see him_. And bad."

My eye twitched. Those were some big words.

He continued, "Why? Due to my understanding of your character-"

"What! Okay, okay, _stop right there_."

Silence.

"Okay," I said, after a lot of thought. "Okay, Shisui, first of all, half of that did not make any sense. Second of all, you are drawing random facts to make a wrong point sound right. You start with, "He doesn't want to see me, therefore, I don't either," which does not mean, "If he _does_want to see me, then I will want to see him too," so your sentence is meaningless. You are also going off the fact he wants to see me in the first place, which is wrong too. So, I think I can say _I_know myself best to know that _I_do not want to see Itachi." I nodded.

Shisui blinked. He moved his index finger, musing over my words. After drawing a few loops in the air, he raised his eyebrows high. "Wow, I'm shocked squirt. Since when did you grow brains?"

"Since I go to school, unlike someone who plays ninja all day."

Shisui sighed. "Fine. Then don't go."

"I won't."

"No, you definitely won't."

"Yes."

"Not at all."

"Yes."

"But you will go anyway even if right now you are saying that you won't go."

"No."

"So, you aren't saying you won't go?"

"Yes– No! Shisui, stop tricking me!"

"Don't learn that in school, now do ya? Thank the cunning skills of the ninja. _And_I heard a yes! See you at the Konoha arena in a week!"

I gritted my teeth. "I. Said. I'm. Not. Going."

"Don't care," he sang. "You may learn a thing or two. Oh, and going back to our discussion earlier, just because point A, "If he does not wish to see you, you do not wish to see him," does not imply point B, "If he does want to see you, then you do too," it still does not prove point C, which is that you do not want to see him. Which is independent of whether he wants to see you or not."

"Even if it doesn't prove point C, you can't prove your part either," I tested him, having no idea what we were blabbing about anymore.

"Oh, I think I'll have my proof in a week. You'll show up. After all, you don't want to waste such an opportunity for the sake of an argument you already lost, now do ya?"

"I didn't lose. If I don't show up at the Chuunin Exam, then I win. Ha!"

"Yeah, but you lost at the same time. I just bamboozled you into not going just so you can win a silly argument and spite Itachi."

"And I lost _how_?"

"You just proved point D. If you _really_aren't upset over the fact that you can't see him, then you wouldn't care you can't, now would you? And if you didn't care, then why would you waste two perfectly _free_Chuunin Exam tickets, tickets that you can't get under any other circumstances, and not just enjoy the show? The show that is at only _this_time is being held _here_, in Konoha."

I crossed my arms. "Shisui, have you thought that I just don't want to watch Itachi in the match?"

"Squirt, Itachi isn't the only participant. You are so caught up thinking of him, you seemed to have missed the fact that the Exam is an exciting competition of world-wide ninjas." Sensing my lack of a comeback, he grinned wider. "Nice try, but I grew up with Itachi and twisted logic. You're eons away from winning these debates. Of course, you _can_prove me wrong. In that case, I guess you'll catch Itachi again in _another_two more years or so. Oh, crossroad, gotta go. See ya, squirt!"

"Can you stop calling me 'squirt,'" I said. "I'm not short anymore. Last month, I grew a _centimeter_."

"Really? It looks like you shrunk."

"Because I don't grow at a crazy speed like you!"

He laughed.

When Shisui was gone, I looked at the tickets once more, and then stuffed them into my pockets.

That night, I collapsed onto my bed, staring at the crumbled tickets. Front row seats. These were only second best to balcony seats, and I doubted even Tamaki could afford these.

I thought about Itachi. He was one of my first friends in Konoha, but for two years, he had been gone from my life. His family had been gone. Over the seasons, no matter how much I had wanted to find him, to see him, I could not.

Shisui was right. If I wanted to see Itachi, this was my one chance.

But did I want to see him anymore? When I was eight years old, I had been so hurt over this. Month after month I had been chasing him, to make sure he was okay, to make sure we were okay. But if Itachi wanted to break our friendship and remove all contact, then maybe he was not worth it. Friendship was not supposed to hurt. It was not supposed to be one-sided either.

I slammed a pillow over my head. "What do I do? Go or don't go?"

The stars were silent above. If they were going to whisper some mystical answer, now would be a great time to hear it.

"Come on, guys. What happened to your awesome cosmic powers? Aren't you supposed to have all the answers?" I yelled.

When I got no reply, I searched in the dark. I lit my lamp and shook my future ball. Screw symbols in the sky when you have a future ball.

.

The day came, and I found myself braiding my hair, ribbon in my mouth. My dad popped in my room.

"Someone's dressed."

"Yorum sumpose toome." I removed the ribbon from my mouth and weaved it into my hair. "You are supposed to be."

"How about a kimono, then?"

"Not _that_dressed!" I did not want to show up to the Chuunin Exams in a t-shirt and sweatpants, that was all.

"Okay. And I'm sorry again that something came up."

"It's fine. I decided to go with Gin."

"Your detention buddy?"

"It was an accident, okay? So what if we spilled mop water on the teacher."

"You dumped it on the teacher as a misfire of trying to soak your friend," my dad said, disapproving.

"Well, Gin fired first. We paid the detention, alright?"

"And the time before?"

"We thought rocks were a _permissible_weapon."

"Uh-huh. And the other?"

"Okay, that one was my bad. But the time before that, I swear I didn't see them when I tested my kick."

"Wandering around in school fields after school hours."

"Ballet ended early. What else could I do except play a little?"

"Destroying said fields."

"It was muddy, okay?"

"Smuggling food into classrooms."

"We were hungry after trying to run away."

My dad sighed. "I'm beginning to think that kid is a bad influence."

I rolled my eyes. "Dad, chill. Good luck with research."

"Thank you! My team believes this might work this time. You see, when we placed the-"

"_Okay_! Good luck and see you later!" I shooed my dad out of my room.

Outside, Gin was waiting for me by his usual place at the gate. On our way to the arena, I gave Gin one of my crumbled up tickets. He held the ticket up to the sunlight.

"Wow, Ayae, these are hot. How did you get front row?"

I muttered something.

"What?"

"Nothing," I said. "Come on. Race ya."

Our backpacks shuffled behind us as we ran.

The Exams did not begin for a while, but there was already a giant line that wrapped around the Konoha arena _five _times.

Gin and I exchanged a nod and got on our knees. We crawled through the mob of legs to the front entrance. A pair of security guards stopped us before we made it in. One guard caught my arm and pulled me up. The other got Gin.

"Hey! Let go!"

The guards held us, asking for our parents.

I flashed my ticket to him. "We aren't sneaking in. We have tickets."

Surprised, the guard took my ticket and examined it. He looked skeptical. "Where did you get these?"

"Got them from a friend," I said.

The guard frowned. "You mean stole."

"She did not steal that!" Gin snapped.

"Then you did."

"He- _We _did not steal anything!" I said. "Are you going to let us in or what?"

Luck was on our side, because just then, the crowd separated for a big escort.

"All hailing the Fire Daimyo and Princess!"

Everyone, including the guards, bowed in respect. In that moment, Gin and I were freed. We sneaked inside.

Passing by us were a group of dancers and violinists, as well as royal bloods. In the center were four people lifting a carriage. There were two silhouettes behind the silk curtain to the carriage. A fan slid the curtain aside, as the princess peeked through the curtain.

I was surprised to see the princess of Fire. She was pretty, with her lips brushed red, and flowers in her buns. Her fine hair matched her doe eyes, but all the makeup and fanciness aside she looked only a few years older. In fact, her face looked like mine, enough that we could have been twins.

Gin tugged my sleeve. "Come on."

Together, we squeezed through the crowds to the front of the arena. Matching the ticket numbers to the seat numbers, I saw we got _first _row. Had we wanted, we could have jumped over the railing, and landed in the arena after a drop.

Everyone around us was famous or rich. Political leaders, industry owners, or noblemen. I looked up to the balconies, and saw the Hokage lighting his pipe. Beside the Hokage was another Kage. He was bulky, with dark skin. The third Kage was hidden by his robes.

Above, in the highest tower, the Fire Daimyo seated with his daughter. They were served drinks, and the curtains pulled around them.

Below, in all three lower balconies were noble clan families. Ms. Hyuuga sat toward the end, with the other women of her clan. They were all beautiful with long hair and pale eyes. In the front was a little girl clutching her father. The father was staring furiously in one direction.

I followed his gaze.

Oh _hell_no.

It was my clan. Shisui was being badgered from the edge. The Uchiha elder sat in the center, alongside two men, one of them Itachi's father. Itachi's father had his arms folded, glaring back at the Hyuuga father before focusing on someone else.

I followed his gaze and found the contestants' balcony. One contestant looked nervous, his knees shaking and hand clutching the railing so hard his knuckles turned white. Others were calm. One was smirking.

Then, of all the figures, I saw the smallest, mostly in the shadows.

The distance was too great and I could not make out too many details, but my heart skipped a beat. I locked my gaze on Itachi. When he moved and disappeared behind one of the doors, I stood up from my seat.

"What are you-"

"I need to check something," I said, and ran around the railings.

"But-"

"Go get popcorn or something. I'll be right back."

I passed seat after seat and saw ninjas entering a hallway. I wondered if that led anywhere, so I followed behind and found stairs. After a billion steps down and several halls, I saw an opening. I ran back when I caught glimpse of the arena. Wrong way!

Thinking it must have been upstairs, I tried the second floor. The door to the floor was locked, so I tried the third floor. Through the dizzying maze, I gave up and settled for any door, any door at all. I heard a voice behind one, and cracked it open.

"Should we send him out, my Lord?"

"Not at all! I find him entertaining."

"Thank you! Now stop talking about me like I'm not here."

I heard the Fire Daimyo laugh. He fanned himself, indulging in the jokes of another man. This other man was old, with white hair and traveler clothes. There was a giant scroll strapped to his back.

"I like you," the Daimyo said. "Witty as always, my friend."

"Father?" the princess said.

"One moment, darling," the Daimyo said, waving her off in favor of the traveler. "So how has been your journey?"

"Well, I've got a massive collection of information I can't wait to write down. I've been driving my publisher mad in fact-"

"She still hasn't left you alone?" the Daimyo said.

"Nah. Same with the editor. I think she had enough of my chicken scratch," the traveler said, laughing. "No matter where I flee to, she always finds me."

"Father…"

"Hold on, darling. When you are finished, please have one delivered prompt-prompt to the capital. I have been dying for the next part of the series."

"My Lord!" said a man in black robes and top hat. "_Please_."

"Oh, you'll get your copy too," the Daimyo assured, waving his war fan at the counselor.

"That's not what I meant!" the counselor said, covering his face out of embarrassment. "I don't believe now is such a time to be discussing such inappropriate-"

"Ah! But what is so inappropriate? I am merely capturing nature in its purest form. And that, my friend, is my art to you," the traveler said with a humble bow.

"Brilliant! Just brilliant! Well said," the Daimyo praised, clapping his hands enthusiastically. With his fan, he pointed on one of the servants. "Are you recording that? Hurry, hurry, while the memory is still fresh!" Immediately, the servant began to dip his brush in ink and write on the scroll.

The traveler sweat dropped. "My Lord, I'm flattered, but that is not necessary."

"Yes, it is. I want each of your words recorded onto this parchment here."

"Some words are only meant to be heard once, and that has an impact greater than being read a thousand times."

"More brilliance! Did you get that down?"

"Oi, didn't you just get what I said? Stop writing what I'm saying! And don't write that either! I told you to stop! Stop that brush!"

"You are truly amusing, Jiraiya," the Daimyo chuckled, covering his mouth with the fan.

"Father!"

"Oh! Right, yes, darling?"

She pointed to the curtains. "The match is about to begin."

"Oh! Thank you darling."

"Ah, then it is time I bid my farewells," the traveler said.

"You shall not stay?" the Daimyo asked, disappointed.

"Nah. Catch you later, and thanks for the drinks!" With that, the traveler disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The Daimyo sighed, fanning himself again. "Let's now enjoy the show, shall we?"

"Father, may I..."

I closed the door, and scurried back. I did not want to miss the match myself. I ran back down the hallway when I bumped into someone.

It was the traveler.

"Princess?"

"Uh..."

The traveler noticed his mistake. "Are you looking for your parents?" he asked. "If so, the audience is that way." He pointed down the hall.

I thanked him, and followed his directions. I heard his wooden shoes click on the floor. His footsteps faded.

Miraculously, I found my way back to my seat. Gin had his hat filled with popcorn. I stole a piece.

"Where'd you go?" he asked.

I frowned. "Not where I wanted to."

"Well, at least you're back. The match's about to begin. They are introducing the people now and- What the- Since when was your cousin in this thing? That's your cousin, right?" he asked, pointing to Itachi as he entered the arena.

Oh yeah, that was him. Uchiha right there.

"Since now?" I squirmed in my seat.

"You knew, didn't you?"

"A little. Okay, a lot. But I didn't know until I got the tickets, I swear!"

"Whatever," Gin mumbled, stuffing his mouth with popcorn. "MNot leik hesgotmtamchamce."

I sighed. "Gimme popcorn."

We watched each contestant be introduced by name and country. A creep in straitjacket. A teenage girl. A boy chewing on a twig. A tall masked man. A muscular man with his arms crossed. A jittery kid.

There were many different symbols engraved onto the headbands, but I saw only one with a swirly. Itachi's. He stood still, paying little attention to the cheers when his name was announced. Mindlessly, I clapped with the audience.

Then, Itachi looked up. He made eye contact with one person.

Me.

.

Taijutsu, the art of hand to hand combat. The grace of each punch, each kick, each drop and flip. The power of each bone snapping crunch lie in taijutsu. The skill to disable the opponent with a single jab to the muscle.

Ninjutsu, the art of unlocking spirituality. To be able to unleash one's nature and emit it into the surroundings. Whether for an offensive expulsion of fire, or a defensive concealment into the shadows. This skill becomes the unique talent that defines the ninja's role and path.

Genjutsu, the art of tampering with the mind. By bewildering and overpowering the senses, one can create the ultimate betrayal of the human body to the human mind. It is the skill that remains the most arcane, yet also the most silent and deadly.

To have one mastered means someone worthy of recognition. To master them all means fulfilling the requirement of a perfect shinobi. At least, that was what my textbook said.

Below were eight ninjas approaching that same perfection. For over a decade, never had there been a preliminary _twice_. Thirty three genins qualified for the finals, yet they slashed the numbers twice, leaving behind only the geniuses of geniuses. And whether for politics or pleasure, this particular Chuunin Exam was the jackpot.

The audience was restless. Everyone itched for the fighting to begin. People pooled money at the betting table.

"I'd put my money on him. He ranked second during the last Exam! He almost made it!"

"Heard some frightening information on him. All assassination missions."

"A lone kunoichi among the leagues and the Kage is voting for her!"

"So this is the heir of the Uchiha."

While the gossip spread amongst the crowd, most of the contestants left the arena. Itachi left as well.

Two contestants stayed, one ninja from Grass, one ninja from Iwa.

"Hey, see that man over there?" Gin pointed to the Iwa ninja who was waving to all his fans. "He's from Iwa. This is his third time in the exam. On his previous try, he made it to second place. I don't know why he was not ranked a chuunin though, since second is usually enough."

I watched the Iwa ninja flex his muscles to the ladies of the crowd, earning a few faints. He was tall, bulky, and shirtless, and he was not shy to show off his tan. On his bandana was the symbol of two rocks.

Gin then pointed to Kusa ninja, and told me about his clan's ability to merge in with their surroundings. The Kusa ninja was in baggy khaki, and had pasty skin and bleached hair.

"How do you know so much?" I asked Gin, suspicious of where he got his information.

"I have my ninja smarts," Gin said, reaching for the popcorn.

"No. Really." _His_ninja smarts was _my_ninja smarts. He got his information from somewhere, probably from the same place as his mysterious popcorn.

Gin gave a sheepish grin. From his pocket, he took out a booklet. "Got a copy of the betting cheat-sheet," he said.

"Where did you get that?"

Gin kept his voice low. "Err, don't look back, but you'll see a stifled noble three seats back trying to find his betting brochure."

"You _what_?"

"Same place as popcorn, okay? He dropped it, so I picked it up."

"And you didn't give it _back_to him."

Sighing, I grabbed the booklet and flipped through the pages. Might as well see what it could offer.

There was a profile of each contestant, including information like home country, clan, age, mentor, techniques, abilities, missions, success rate, betting odds… My jaw dropped. The booklet went as far as to listing diseases, eating habits, and chakra type, and blood type. Seriously, blood type? Did _I_even know _my_blood type?

I began to doubt the legality of the booklet. It was the ultimate stalking book. I read about the Iwa ninja on the first page. Now I knew he liked mountain hiking, wrestling, and… statue making? You had got to be kidding.

"Why would anyone have this?" I asked.

Gin shrugged. "It's a tournament, Ayae. If you are going to bet, you would want an advantage. I think the book is supposed to help rich asses rig everything in their favor."

"Intense."

Before I could read anything else, the match began. The contestants shook hands, and then backed up to a comfortable distance, both in battle position. The Iwa ninja made the first move. He sprinted forward and leaped up. While landing, he punched the ground with such an enormous force that the arena shook. Everyone felt the aftershock.

However, while I felt a bump in my seat, the ground of the arena had split in two, with rocks protruding out in spikes. After a few hand signs, the Kusa ninja melted into the ground just in time.

The tables turned when the Kusa ninja reemerged behind the Iwa ninja and stabbed a knife in his back.

My eyes widened. The crowd went silent.

The Iwa ninja exploded in a puff of smoke. When the smoke cleared, a monumental stone statue stood in his place, featuring the Iwa ninja in a show-off heroic pose. The statue stood ten feet tall in all its terracotta glory, half naked, with full eight-packs. One arm curled up into biceps, while the other hand shot out into the sky in a salute, dangling the Kusa ninja by the back of his shirt.

Unable to free himself, the Kusa ninja stayed in the air.

The silence shattered as the crowd burst out laughing. Gin laughed with them, while I covered my face, embarrassed for the Kusa ninja.

The real Iwa ninja leaned against one of the protruding rocks. He laughed wholeheartedly, and bowed to the audience.

Out of sympathy, he then threw a shuriken, which ripped through the Kusa ninja's shirt, freeing him. The Kusa ninja landed on his feet, humiliated.

"All good fun, eh?" the Iwa ninja said, smirking. His dialect was different from Fire's, and ladies fainted again at the foreign accent.

The Kusa ninja hissed and threw a dagger.

The Iwa ninja caught the dagger between his index and middle finger just before it reached his nose. "You attempt to kill me, albino boy? Well, if you insist on being so serious." He straightened himself up and cracked his neck. "Then I guess I should respect your wishes."

He banged both his fists into the earth. Boulders flew into the air, and a force shattered them into a million rocky spikes. With a thrust of his arm, the spikes launched at high speed. In all directions. Including mine.

I slammed the booklet to my face, and curled back into my seat. Thankfully, the spikes hit some unseen barrier and crumbled into dust.

People in white masks stretched a barrier to protect the crowd. I slumped in my chair. Front row seats? Not a good idea.

A sketchy noble next to me laughed at my panic.

"Silly girl. As if they could harm _us_," he scoffed, sipping his sake. My nose wrinkled at the smell the alcohol, and I leaned toward Gin.

Gin had his mouth open with the popcorn still in it. He was in shock. When he came around, he turned to me. "Holy. Cow."

"I know," I whispered. Man, that was dangerous.

"That. Was. AWESOME!"

Never mind.

I shrunk into my seat, while Gin leaned forward, his nose centimeters short of the barrier.

The Kusa ninja had dodged and snaked around the spikes, before he submerged into the ground again. But this time, the Iwa ninja slammed both of his palms into the earth and created a shockwave in the ground. Soon, the ground was waving, going from solid to liquid. Trees and bushes rocked back and forth, beginning to sink.

The match ended when the Kusa ninja floated up, unconscious. The ground hardened again into a smooth plain. The Iwa ninja was the winner.

The crowd cheered.

A particular section of the audience rooted, "IWA! IWA! IWA!" Gin decided to join them. The rest of the people from Iwagakure clapped, though with a lot more enthusiasm than in the beginning. Others were booing. Accusations of cheating were shot into the air.

Whatever the case, the audience was in an uproar, and the Iwa ninja bowed to it all. Then he stomped on the ground and mud slid out for a dramatic exit.

Meanwhile, two medics rushed to the Kusa ninja. They checked for pulses and said they needed emergency treatment. The lungs were baked with dirt.

A small intermission took place, and I returned to the booklet. So far, this booklet had been right.

"Dude, that was just- Man! I have got to tell my bro this. Did you see that? He punched the rock and it went like B-BOMMM and…" The remaining popcorn flew in the air when Gin punched the air.

"Mhm." I shooed, too busy flipping through the pages.

Gin picked up his fallen hat and dusted off the corn crumbs. "But yeah, that was the coolest thing ever. He's so going to win this!"

"Maybe." My eyes focused on each page, scanning for names.

Gin peeked over my shoulder. "Looking up your cousin?"

Yes. U. Uchiha. Found him. I skimmed, and then slammed the booklet shut, disappointed.

Nothing.

Itachi's profile only said that he was of the prodigy Uchiha clan, had the Sharingan, and good speed and movement.

"Are you worried?" Gin asked. "He's next."

"I know."

"He'll get murdered. Have you _seen_his opponent?"

I winced. "He won't. He's pretty good." I reassured myself. Itachi could fight. Gin was not there _that_day.

"He better be if my bro lost to him," Gin scoffed.

The proctor announced the next match, and Itachi walked into the arena alongside his opponent, an Ame ninja.

Itachi extended a hand in courtesy. The Ame ninja did not shake his hand.

The Ame ninja wore a gas mask that made his breathing heavy. He had on a beige straitjacket with pockets and plastic tubes that carry his oxygen. His back was hunched, and his arms dangled before him like lead weight. The Ame ninja looked like he belonged on the hospital bed, not in a fight. Yet, his eyes were bloodshot, and from him was a chilling aura.

I shuddered and tugged on Gin's sleeve.

"Hey, read to me about that guy?"

Gin looked for the Ame ninja in the booklet.

"Hurry!" I rushed.

The proctor whistled.

Already, the second match was different from the first. Instead of separating and moving into defense positions, these two contestants did nothing.

Itachi stood still, examining his opponent with a tilt of his head.

Meanwhile, I was shaking Ginjiro like a madman. Why was Itachi not moving away? Going into some defense position? At least get out a damn kunai! He was freaking one hundred percent exposed for crying out loud!

"Who is that guy? Is he dangerous? He won't kill Itachi right? I need to know! Now!"

"Stop... shaking... can't... read!" Gin slurred.

Below, the tension was in the air. The Ame ninja began to circle Itachi, one step at a time. His arms tugged behind him like luggage, as he made his way to Itachi's back. Itachi did not move.

Then, without warning, two shuriken were sent flying. They breezed past Itachi's face at such a rapid speed, his hair fluttered. Itachi did not blink.

"Heh. No fear," the Ame ninja rasped. More heavy breaths. _Inhale_. "I'll give you a chance to surrender…" _Exhale_. "Before I bleed that pretty little head…"

"I shall return your offer," Itachi said.

The Ame ninja's chuckle rose to a creepy laugh. In a flash, a multitude of clones trapped Itachi within a circle, and a swarm of weapons attacked him from every angle.

Itachi had already leaped into the air, avoiding the mass of iron. He deflected any remaining kunai coming at him with his own, scattering all of them so precisely that each flew toward an Ame ninja clone. The clones splattered into vapor.

But the vapors regenerated back into a replacement clone. When Itachi landed on the ground, he was in the same trouble.

"I closely studied your…" _Inhale_. "Battle style at preliminaries…" _Exhale_. "I know you like running and attacking from the shadows. Taking advantage of size and stealth like a coward mouse. But now…" _Inhale_. "You are in plain sight and…"

_Exhale_.

"Dead."

More iron flew from all direction. I snapped shut my eyes.

_Thump_.

Thumpthumpthump_thump_.

"Fire style…"

My eyes opened, and I was blinded by the massive amount of light and heat blazing the arena.

From the air, Itachi blew a breath of fire the size of the arena. The Ame ninja and his clones stared, bewildered, unable to dodge something of that size. They were eaten by the flames and disappeared into the light. I shielded my face when I felt the burn against my cheeks.

By the time the fire was gone, the ground sizzled. Itachi stood in the center of a crater, apathetic to the gasps from the audience. He examined the destruction around him, and turned to the untouched woods in the far edges of the arena.

"Come out."

Suddenly, a band of wires shot out from the woods, taking everyone by surprise. The wires wrapped around Itachi and trapped him before he had a chance to escape.

From the shadows, the unharmed Ame ninja came out.

"How did you know?" the Ame ninja rasped, his breath heavier and more weighted. But his eyes were rolling in ecstasy.

"Your arms were incapacitated," Itachi said. "The weapons were hidden in the shadows and suspended among the surrounding trees by wire. The clones were merely meant to deceive, so your real position would not be revealed."

"You realized too late." The Ame ninja chuckled, but it turned into a wheeze. "I'll kill you… you… little…"

My eyes widened as the Ame ninja lifted an arm. The sleeve slid up and showed a rotted hand with a knife out the palm.

My heart pounded, and my breath hitched. The Ame ninja was serious. He was coming to kill Itachi.

"Shit!" Gin cried, shaking my shoulder. "This guy does assassinations, Ayae. Your cousin should yell forfeit while he still can, and the proctors can interfere!"

I was stammering.

Step.

_Inhale_.

Step.

_Exhale_.

Step.

_Inhal_-

A bare grin. "My offer still stands," Itachi whispered, and the wires strangled him tighter. He watched the Ame ninja step closer, less than a meter away.

One more step…

The Ame ninja fell onto the ground, gasping for air. It was useless, and his body jerked in panic. _Inhaleexhaleinhaleexhale_.

I was in shock. Itachi was unimpressed.

The Ame ninja gasped for air, going blue and purple. His eyes were wide and watery as he stared in fury at the boy above him.

The jerking stopped after a long minute.

The proctor did a countdown, before he raised his hand.

"Winner! Konoha shinobi, Uchiha Itachi!"

The crowd roared. There were screams and celebrations, the Konoha audience giving deafening applauds. Shisui rooted as the loudest of them all.

My mouth was open, as I stayed dumbfounded with Gin.

"What…"

"Just…"

"_Happened_?"

And then, Ginjiro saw. He pointed to the unconscious Ame ninja on the ground. His back revealed his oxygen pipe. It was sliced wide open.

Only after a long reflection did I realize what happened. The Ame ninja was doomed from the start. After one glance, Itachi had already figured the Ame ninja out. He made one slit into the pipe the second the match started, unbeknownst to anyone. Not even the Ame ninja himself, until it was too late.

And Itachi made sure it was too late. His lone attack was not to burn the Ame ninja. Fire ate everything, but most importantly, it ate the _air_. Not only had Itachi cleared his way, he also took away any oxygen. Then he waited, letting the other ninja to use whatever air he had left.

Itachi did not need to lift another finger.

I could not find any words for his victory.

I laughed at myself. "He made it in, dummy," I told myself. "Of course he'd be good enough to fight."

All that time, I was worried over nothing. I became grim though. The Ame ninja was disabled before the match even began, making him one of the weaker opponents. What if Itachi did not face him, but one of the other six opponents?

Medics carried away the Ame ninja, fumbling to find an oxygen mask. Itachi sent a spike of chakra that sliced the wires. Then he walked out of the arena. His match was finished.

In the next match, a kunoichi flipped blonde hair, cropped short. She was well built, with full breasts and wide hips. Mounted on her back was a falchion sword. The band wrapped stylishly around her arm showed her home in Iwa as well.

On the other side was a younger boy from Suna. As noon came, the weather became boiling hot, but he covered every part of his body with clothes. He was looked sickly green and his knees were shaking. He had nothing scary about him other than the katana sword he held.

Two seconds in, and I was pretty sure who was going to win.

The Iwa kunoichi cocked an eyebrow. "Well, this is a waste of time."

"Wh- whatcha talking about?" the Suna ninja asked, regripping the sword in his sweaty hands.

"I've seen your battles, hon. A weak Konoha girl and an injured boy," she said and stepped closer to him.

Once close, she toyed with the tip of her opponent's katana. "And luck in both places. While I fought off the murderous Kiri and Kusa." She looked at the Suna ninja in boredom, and tilted the katana down with a finger. "How do you expect to attack me with that stick? You are not even holding it right."

Infuriated, the Suna ninja took advantage of their closeness and stabbed the katana forward.

The kunoichi spun to his right. Before he knew it, he was lifted by the shirt. With ease, she threw him across the field and into the crater.

He landed in with a thud, shouting as he held his head. His skull was cracked, and his head was bleeding. By the time the kunoichi approached him, he was scared. The katana was gone, sent across the arena somewhere.

The kunoichi pushed him back down with a step of her heels. "Like I said, a waste of time. I'll give you a chance to forfeit."

If I were the Suna ninja, I would have screamed forfeit in an instant.

He did not.

The kunoichi was stepping on a clone. Meanwhile, three more Suna ninja charged from behind. They were skilled in the katana, but the kunoichi blocked every attack with her arm or knee. Then she aimed for the Suna ninja on the left, and landed an one-eighty kick. My eyes followed up to the swing of her legs until there was a blur of both chakra and sparks. A ear-popping _BOOM_later, the Suna ninja was soaring in the air at a ridiculous speed.

All the way out of the arena.

"Hm, homerun," the kunoichi observed.

My jaw dangled. I did not know how the kunoichi did it, but that was _amazing_. Gin was just as bewildered, though he found the kick more scary than admiring.

The kunoichi shifted her weight to one leg, waiting to be declared the winner. The proctor sweat dropped and nodded.

Pleased, she made her way out, sending a flicker of her fingers for her fans. They screamed and rooted. The Iwa supporters were crazy happy, having two of their people in semi-finals.

Finally, the fourth match was between a Kumo ninja and a Kiri ninja.

From Kumo was an skinny teenager chewing on a twig. He was geared in clothes from his country, of heavy, non-conductible jackets and pants. At his sides were black cylinders and a scroll. He would have been the second youngest, at only twelve years old.

His opponent was the oldest, from his height and broad shoulders. A mask stopped me from seeing his face. It was painted a dark navy, with lines of the Kiri symbol. He wore a black trench coat and gloves. The biggest sword I had ever seen was strapped on his back. The tons of steel had no shine to it.

"Ugh, is this over yet," the Kumo ninja moaned.

However, the Raikage was enthusiastic. He was bored throughout the past matches, disliking the glory of Iwa and Leaf.

"GO AND MAKE KUMO PROUD, BOY!" the Raikage boomed over the crowd. "You've got a king's wealth in your hands if you win this!"

"But I don't need money," the Kumo ninja said.

"WHAT!"

The other Kages chuckled, amused by the Raikage, who strung out a mix of encouragement and death threats.

"Don't be too excited, Respected Raikage. Kiri has not been vetoed out of this competition yet," said the Mizukage.

"You and your posse can kiss my ass!" the Raikage boomed. "The sky gods are on our side this time, and the winner shall be the mighty Kumo! Watch as your village fall to shame!"

The Mizukage laughed, "There shall be no shame, only death. And Kiri has never been shamed." His eyes sparkled in delight.

"Will you two stop bickering?" the old Hokage said with a weary sigh. "It is tiring to have to listen to such childish brawls."

"Says the man with the Uchiha clan!" the other Kage attacked.

"Ah, but it is a shame the Tsuchikage's bad bones prevented him from attending this one. Who'd have thought two Iwa nin would make semi-finals."

"Don't start. Last thing I want is to have that old geezer slap his butt in front of our faces," the Raikage snarled, folding his arms.

The Hokage sighed again, beckoning for a cup of tea, as the other two Kage went on to complain of the Tsuchikage.

Meanwhile, the two contestants below shook hands.

After pocketing his twig, the Kumo ninja removed the black cylinders from their belt casing. They were nunchakus, two wooden handles connected by a chain.

He swirled them in the air. "Hey mister, aren't you a little too old to be in these things?"

The Kiri ninja unsheathed his sword. The sword was bigger than the Kumo ninja's body, yet he held it with a single hand. "Aren't you too young?"

"No. Teacher refused to let me compete any later, though I swore I could have stalled another year." The Kumo ninja sighed, looking up at the sky. The nunchakus in his hand stopped spinning, and he hung his head. "This is so pointless…"

"Then let's end this, shall we?"

The Kiri ninja swung his sword. He almost chopped the Kumo ninja's head off, had the sword not been stopped by a wooden click and the snap of a chain.

The Kumo ninja caught the sword in his nunchakus. "I mean, don't _you_think I can wait another year?" he asked, as he deflected the blade.

The sword spun a full circle and returned to slice the Kumo ninja. He jumped and the sword swooshed under his feet. Then, he rubbed his chin. "In fact, even my sister agrees with me. She says I can pass off as an eleven year old." He ducked, and the blade missed his head by a hair. "Maybe even ten, but I'll have to like slouch more to look shorter." He stepped aside and let the sword land on the dirt next to him, so close the sword almost butchered his arm. "Or does slouching make me look older?"

"I don't know," the Kiri ninja said, shrugging his shoulders, and returned for another whack at the Kumo ninja. "I think it's your height."

"Well, that's perspective," the Kumo ninja said, locking the blade with his nunchakus. "You are tall, after all."

"True," the Kiri ninja agreed, pulling his blade out and sending both the sword and nunchakus flying behind him.

"My mum keeps on tell me that I need to grow," the Kumo ninja said, pulling out his scroll, and summoning a new pair of nunchakus.

Meanwhile, the Kiri ninja walked over to get his sword. As soon as he pulled it out of the earth, he raised it to block the incoming attack.

The Kumo ninja tapped his scroll again and summoned another pair of nunchakus. "Sorry about that. I thought it would hit you, but you blocked it time. Hey, you're pretty good, you know that?"

"I know."

"So, where was I? Oh yeah, my mum. I don't think I need to grow because I only seem to go up. Not sideways though. I think I'm losing bone density, or something like that. People at my town call me chopsticks, because they think I resemble chopsticks."

"You gain bone density," the Kiri ninja said, slashing the air with his sword. Chakra cut the air, so powerful that the ground split and massacred its way to the opposite wall.

The Kumo ninja was unharmed, spinning his nunchakus to part the chakra. "But better than toothpick. I was called that before too. Still, I feel like my bones are getting skinnier."

"They grow."

"Oh."

The two opponents dodged each other's attacks, before the Kiri ninja caught an opening.

"Wait," the Kumo ninja said, raising a finger. The Kiri ninja stopped and waited while the Kumo ninja summoned two more pairs of nunchakus, one of wood, the other of steel. "Hey, which one do you think would be better?"

"Steel. Wood would snap."

"I know what you mean. Wood keeps on cracking. My mum isn't going to be happy when she finds out I've already gotten through so many already. But I don't like steel. They don't make that clack sound."

"Clack?"

"Oh, you can go on now. I'll show you what you mean."

The sword went down and the boy dodged by twisting his body into an L shape. Then, his wooden nunchakus banged against each other, before they slammed into the metal of the blade. The wood splintered while the Kiri ninja lost control of his weapon. And there was the clack sound, just as Kumo ninja said.

The fight continued, from offense to defense and back again. Neither contestant seemed to have broken a sweat.

Finally, the sword made its mark.

The sword sliced the Kumo ninja evenly in half, from the skull all the way down to the legs.

My hands went to my eyes.

However, ninjas love to put on a show. I heard bone crack and meshing. When I peeked out of my fingers, I saw no blood. No brains. No guts. No halves of a body. Instead, two irritated copies of the Kumo ninja stood in place, nice and symmetrical. Somehow, they looked skinnier than before.

"Um, yeah, that was humiliating. You got to see my insides and everything. Talk about indigestion, ugh," the copies said.

One copy had his right arm clamped around the blade. The other copy had his left arm wrapped around it. Together, they locked the sword in place.

Their fingers glowed with electricity, which went up the metal of the sword. The electricity crackled, going to the handle. The Kiri ninja was saved because of his gloves. But the shock forced him to drop the sword.

The copies heaved the sword in the air and tossed it meters away. Nunchakus once again swirled in the air, and both copies charged at the Kiri ninja. Since the Kiri ninja did not have his sword to block the attacks, the copies succeeded.

They locked both arms of the Kiri ninja. "Oh, and maybe people call me chopsticks for this. I have no idea really. Well, it was nice meeting you."

There was cracking and popping in the air. Then, there was silence.

A pause.

Nothing happened.

Another pause.

The copies sweat dropped.

"Jeez, are you wearing _all_electric proof stuff?" they asked, dropping an eyebrow in exasperation.

"Pretty much," said the Kiri ninja. Then, without effort, he snapped the chain grips of the nunchakus on him, and grabbed both copies, slamming them into the ground. The copies muttered an unenthusiastic "Ouch."

They sprung back on their feet and scratched their heads, dumbfounded, when the Kiri ninja was nowhere in sight. However, when they whipped around, they saw the Kiri ninja had gotten his sword.

The copies hung their heads. "Are you serious? It took forever to get that thing away..."

Finally, they sighed, muttering something along the lines of, "This is stupid," and "Guh, indigestion isn't worth it," before trudging toward the arena exit.

"HEY BOY, YOUR OPPONENT IS THAT WAY!" the Raikage raged.

"I forfeit," the copies said, shooing away the Raikage. "Outta my numchuks." Then, both copies reached into their pockets and took out twigs to chew on.

The Kage balcony exploded. The Mizukage laughed, while the Raikage yelled colorful threats.

Alone in the arena, the Kiri ninja stood, shocked. Then, he chuckled. "How lucky," he said, picking up his sword. In response to the cheers, he nodded and heaved the gigantic sword over his shoulder. He walked out.

The first round was over. The semi-finalists? A shirtless statue-maker. A ten year old strategist. A kick-ass blonde. A mysterious swordsman.

I did not think the audience could wait that long, and I did not think that the stadium could support all the ruckus. And I was shocked we were all still alive.


	11. Exam Arc, Part II: Honor, Glory, Hate

Soups! Sausages! Sushi! Tempuras and rice balls! Nice and warm steamy buns along with a frozen drink. The vendors moved around, selling whatever they could to hungry customers during the lunch break. People unglued themselves from their seats and stretched. They left for the toilet or went to buy a snack.

The gambling booth was crowded again. It had become so rude, the workers stopped serving alcohol. Masks guards stood there to stop the bloodshed of unhappy gamblers.

Thankfully, our rows were cleared of people. Our seats were for the rich, famous, and powerful people, who all went to air conditioned rooms. That gave me plenty of space, as I kicked up my feet onto the railing.

Gin returned with my change and food. I thanked him and took a rice ball.

To save a few bucks, we skipped the bento and settled for two bean rice balls each, and a vanilla shake. I stuck my straw in and took the first sip, before handing the shake over to him. He chewed on his rice ball and shook his head, so I placed the drink between us.

The shake was great, chilling me to the pore. The weather was super hot, and the crowd made enough heat to power the village's electricity for a week.

"It's so sunny today," Gin complained, tugging his t-shirt.

"Hey, you've got a hat." As I wiped away my sweat, I thought of something. I dug into my backpack and pulled out my present. The hand fan.

Gin blinked. I offered the fan to him, but he backed away. "Dude, Ayae, is that a _fan_? That's so girly!"

I rolled my eyes. "It's a million degrees, and the Fire Daimyo has one. You going to take it or not?"

"No thanks!"

I did offer. With a flick of my hand, the fan expanded. I flipped the fan back and forth, squinting at the calligraphy painted with the peach blossoms.

Fortune. Peace. Happiness. Prosperity. Love.

The back was blank except a phrase.

"Captivate us all," I read, tracing the swirl of ink with my thumb. Why did this calligraphy look familiar?

I flicked my wrist and the fan snapped back. With another flick, the fan flapped wide open. I could not believe how well the fan fitted in my palm. But the biggest shock was when I fanned it.

Instead of a hot breeze, the fan gushed out a gust of cold wind. I fanned again. The same wind lashed out, leaving Gin and I widen eyed and afro haired.

"How on earth did you do that?" Gin took the fan and flapped it a few times. Strokes of wind blew out. "Whoa!"

"Wind country specialty, buddy. Crafted from bamboo and silk, infused with wind chakra, and finished with a brushing of the richest black and red inks. Oh, and a touch of L. O. V. E. from the maker and moi."

"Shisui!"

Shisui stretched out on an empty chair behind us. He placed his feet smack between Gin and me, almost spilling our shake.

"The one and only," Shisui said.

Gin scowled. "What are you doing here?"

I turned to the Uchiha clan, and saw another Shisui munching down on rice and pretending to listen to the lectures from one of the clan officers. "How are you both there and here?" I asked.

"Water clone," Shisui said. "Although they should stop badgering it so much. If it gets any more unstable, it'll explode."

"Explode as in… explode?" I asked.

"Eh, maybe it's for the best. Everyone needs to hose down. Tension's getting crazy since the Hyuuga decided to spy on us. And when Itachi wins, things _will_overheat." Shisui swayed his feet, nearly knocking Gin in the nose.

Gin got annoyed, trying to push away Shisui's foot. When Shisui played oblivious, Gin _accidentally_spilled _our_vanilla shake him. The shake was mostly full. Gin owed me my half of my money.

Shisui time reversed the shake back into the cup. "Thanks, buddy," Shisui said, giving a toast. Then he drank _our _shake. Now Shisui owed me money. I was serious. The drink was twenty ryou, and I took less than two sips of it.

"Aren't you overconfident in Itachi?" I asked. "Look at the semi-finalists."

Shisui wiped his milk mustache. "Eh, challenges make a fight all the sweeter. I'm dying to fight that Kiri blademaster."

"Blademaster?"

"He's funny. I don't think he's a genin. Heck, I'll say he's probably jounin. Then again, I think the Iwa duo could be high chuunin or even jounin too."

"They are all genin," Gin pointed out, just to be disagreeable.

"Don't assume that," said Shisui. "A person's social rank and what they are capable of are two different things. Sometimes, things come up that hinder promotions. And who is fighting who is important too. Some have natural advantages over others."

I was uneasy. "Is Itachi going-"

"To do fine?" Shisui said. "Oh yeah. I want to fight him the most."

"Weren't you on the same team as him?" Gin asked.

"And?"

"You never sparred with your own teammate?"

"Spar, yes. _Fight_, no. Itachi would not ever fight me."

"Because he's afraid of getting the shit beat out of him?"

Shisui laughed, and wiped a tear away. Then, with a straight face, Shisui said, "No. He's afraid of beating the shit out of _me_."

There was a silence.

Then, we all burst out laughing at the same time.

When Shisui came around, he jiggled the empty cup in his hand. "Oh, where did you buy these? They are fantastic!"

"Vendor at the back. Why don't you _leave_and _go_buy one?" Gin suggested.

"Great idea! Thanks buddy!" Shisui exclaimed, tossing the empty cup to Gin. "Fetch me another one, will ya? Eh? _Eh_?"

Gin gave him the dirtiest look ever, his fists squeezing the life out of his rice ball.

I moaned, and waited for one of them to give in. When no one did, I snatched the cup from Gin. "I'll get one! But Shisui, you owe me twice!"

Horrified by the idea of being left alone with my obnoxious cousin, Gin grabbed the cup. "Fine, I'll go. But one, no way am I paying for it. And two, _you_better be gone after you get it."

"Wait! Buy another one for us too?" I said, giving Gin the rest of my change.

"Yeah sure." Gin pushed his cap down and left.

When Gin was gone, Shisui dropped his feet and leaned forward, grin in place. "I believe now would be the opportune time to announce… I win!"

Gin's squished rice ball landed splat on Shisui's face. "Rub it in, and you will get a vanilla shake shampooing too," I said.

His hands pushed air. "I can agree I would not want my fabulous hair vanilla shampooed," he said. "Why are you here with your detention buddy? What happened to your dad?"

"He couldn't come," I said. "Some meeting."

"Ah. Well, he might not approve this kind of fighting anyway."

I snorted. My dad would have a _heart attack_if he saw this. I would be pulled out of the Ninja Academy in an instant.

Before we could talk any more, there was a scream of fury. "SHISUI!" At the clan seats, three men were soaked from head to toe, like hissing wet cats.

"Uh-oh. Pops popped the clone, didn't he?" Shisui ducked, and poofed out.

A minute later, Gin stood with two shakes in his hand. "He's gone?"

"Um, yeah. Had family things."

"It's a miracle!" Gin thanked the lord. "Oh, and look. There was a chocolate one left! You like chocolate, right?"

"Sweet!" I said.

As I sipped my chocolate shake, I looked around.

At the contestant's balcony, the Iwa duo were chatting to each other, overlooking the arena. The kunoichi had a bottle of water, while the shinobi flexed his biceps, lifting giant weights. He laughed whole-heartedly into the conversation, though the kunoichi looked disinterested. She crushed the bottle in her hands and threw it into the arena below. The bottle smacked the head of a cleaning crew member who was trying to find all the broken nunchakus.

The crew member shouted at the kunoichi that it was not nice to litter. A glare from the kunoichi, and he shut up, picked up the bottle, and scurried away. He went to the other cleaning crew members, who were trying to level the crater.

Meanwhile, the Kiri ninja leaned against the wall, arms folded. His masked made it hard to tell where he looked or what he thought. When someone poked him with a chopstick, his hand went to his sword. He relaxed when he saw the Kumo ninja. The Kumo ninja had become whole again, but still skinny. With a mouth full, he offered sushi to the Kiri ninja. The Kiri ninja shook his head, but the Kumo ninja stayed by his side.

Finally, by the exit was Itachi. I was surprised to see he was not alone either. Half hidden in the hallway was someone his size, though taller and dressed in silver and rosy pink. And a fan in one hand.

I craned my head. Was that the _Fire princess_?

The princess leaned closer to Itachi, taking a hold of his hand. They were saying something.

When Itachi's gaze drifted in my direction, I looked down and furiously sipped my shake. I gave a delayed reply to Gin, who was talking about his plan to master rock smashing, or something. Then, I glanced up again.

Itachi had returned to talking with the princess.

I pouted, trying to figure out what they could be talking about. Maybe the Fire Daimyo asked her to deliver a message to him. Or maybe they were talking about the Examination, and she was asking about his battle techniques. Or maybe she was lost and was asking him where the bathroom was. Hey, it was possible.

But then, all my guesses were thrown out the window. Leaning forward, the princess whispered something, before her lips touched.

She kissed him.

And thus, my shake went down my windpipe.

While I choked, Gin stopped talking about whatever it was. "Hey, you okay?"

I was _not_okay.

Not wanting to draw too much attention, I shrunk in my seat, covered my mouth, and swallowed. "Mhm! Juss… drun alittle too fast." A cough or two later, I sat upright, normal again. "You saying?"

Gin hesitantly continued. "So... I think my bro can teach me since he knows chakra stuff better than me…"

I stopped listening again, but gave a "Yeah" or nod. My anxiousness did not go away, and my grip was so weak, my drink slipped and fell on the floor. Gin stopped mid-sentence again, and picked up the cup. The cup had little shake left, so he threw it back on the floor.

"Ayae, I think the sun's getting to you," Gin said, and placed his hand on my forehead. "You're getting all red and shaky. Are you hot?"

"No!" I pushed his hand away. "Just, uh, tired. Sitting here and all. I'm fine. Really."

He furrowed his eyebrows. Sensing something was up, he looked around the arena. Luckily for me, he skimmed past the contestant's balcony, and found nothing weird. Finally, he lifted his own drink. "Here, you want some of mine?"

"S-sure," I said, and took a sip.

Calm down, I told myself. I mean, it was not like they were- I mean, they were just- Itachi would never- _BAH_! I took another long sip. Then, I stole another peek back at the balcony.

The Fire princess smiled. The smile looked so gentle and innocent, and apparently, Itachi liked it _very _much. From her sleeve, she showed him an omamori charm and closed it around his palm. With that, she disappeared into the halls.

When she was gone, Itachi looked at the charm. A smile crossed his face. Then he closed his eyes, and wiped the mark off his cheek.

My teeth bit into the straw. Okay, I was unhappy.

"Better?" Gin asked.

"Yeah."

"You know, I think your cousin is making you weird," Gin said.

I jumped in my seat. Gin took my straw, and eyed me carefully. "Did he say something to you? I knew I shouldn't have left you alone with him."

I blinked, then realized he was talking about annoying cousin number two. Speaking of Shisui, I had to kill him. I did _not_sign up to watch Itachi and princess whatsherface flirt.

Wait. I was not supposed to care about Itachi. I was here to watch epic battles, and learn different jutsu, and- _oh_, _whatever_! What were Itachi and the princess talking about! I wanna know, I wanna know! I was so mad now!

The semi-finals began. I needed the distraction.

Ah crappers, Itachi was fighting in this one. _Some distraction_!

He faced the Iwa ninja.

"The Uchiha prodigy! I've been looking forward to this match. You were impressive during preliminaries," the Iwa ninja praised, stretching his muscles.

Itachi returned the respect. The Iwa ninja took his hand whole and gave a firm shake.

"I have a proposition," the Iwa ninja said.

Itachi listened. The match had started, but they decided it could wait a bit longer.

"I know your battle style, but I personally find pure evasion long-winded and boring, and so does the crowd. I like to entertain, and if I am to fight, I do not want to be the sole performer."

"What do you imply?" Itachi asked.

"Don't get me wrong. Your skills are commendable. I just find little honor in attacking a boy who runs away." Itachi was quiet until the Iwa ninja finished. "Are you comfortable with taijutsu?"

Itachi understood. "You wish for an offensive fight."

"Straightforward and fair. Can you handle it?"

"Yes," Itachi said. He accepted the terms with a shift of his body into a battle stance.

"Good." The Iwa ninja grinned. "Then you wouldn't mind if I did _this_!"

The show started.

The Iwa ninja slammed his palms into the ground. The ground rumbled. Stone walls rose from the ground, surrounding them in a circle. From the walls, millions of spikes protruded out. The match got narrowed to a small circle in the middle of the arena.

"I won't hold back when I do this either!" A boulder flung toward Itachi.

My eyes widened. Dodge it. Dodge it. _Dodge it_.

Itachi could not, and did not. A kunai appeared in his grasp, and he leaped toward the boulder. With a jerk of his arm, he stabbed the boulder with enough force that the kunai in his hand cracked. The boulder shattered.

While still in the air, Itachi flipped and sent a downwards kick on one of the rock pieces. It flew back at the Iwa ninja at lightning speed.

The Iwa ninja punched. The rock crumbled to dust.

Already, Itachi had vanished and reappeared behind him. His blow was blocked by the Iwa ninja, who raised his arm and used the chance to grab Itachi's wrist.

Itachi slipped away with another kick, and jumped off his opponent's shoulder into the air. The shuriken Itachi threw were caught and sent back, then deflected by kunai and landed in the ground. The shuriken landed in a perfect circle around the Iwa ninja.

With a grin, Itachi pulled the invisible string that looped around each shuriken. The befallen shuriken sprung back to life to lasso his opponent like bull.

The trick was not enough, as the shuriken hit a stone wall around the Iwa ninja. Then with an extension of his arms, the Iwa ninja pushed out the wall in all directions.

The inner wall and outer wall looked like they would squish Itachi into a sandwich, or at least shove him toward the spikes. Itachi used the spikes in his favor. He broke one off and thrust it forward. The inner wall cracked and shattered, leaving an opening for Itachi to tumble through just as the two walls smashed together.

"How are you able to do that? What's your secret, eh?" the Iwa ninja asked, shooting rocks out at the kunai Itachi had thrown during the chaos.

"Stone has imperfections," Itachi said.

The two contestants abandoned weapons in favor of hand to hand combat.

"And one little stab in the right place can destroy the composition. Bravo." The Iwa ninja clapped, in between his exchange of kicks.

Every attack became spontaneous, one movement flowing to the next without break. Every offense was countered by another returning offense. Blink, and you would have no idea how the person with the lower hand gained the upper. Blink twice, and the match could have been well over.

For the most part, the Iwa ninja stood stable, strong and steady. He was planted to the earth and refused to fall.

But Itachi was scattered. He changed location in a fraction of a second, molding his body into any position with flawless grace. Whether a punch, kick, or block, every movement was swifter than wind and smoother than water. And like fire, his actions were whimsical. There was no following it, no predicting it.

It put ballet to shame. It turned any forms of art into gauche, tasteless child-play.

I was speechless.

Their arms met at a standstill point in an X, though Itachi's limb was hardly a third the size of the Iwa ninja's.

"Locked again, eh mate? Shall we move to ninjutsu?"

They broke apart. Fire launched. Rock missiles flew back. The fire chakra incinerated the earth, but the earth also doused out the fire. The wall surrounding them began to spot misshaped rocks and burns.

Whether from the attacks or the heat, the Iwa ninja broke the first sweat.

Itachi slowed down a miniscule. His breathing got faster too.

The match was beginning taking a toll, though neither could drop their guard, not when attacks headed their way every second.

Finally, the first to fall was the wall. It collapsed. Dust blinded everyone, but the brawl inside continued. The sounds clashed on and on, until finally, giant thud after thud shook the arena.

A booming silence.

When the dust settled, I saw ruins of rock, and the reason the fighting came to a halt.

A circle of giant stone statues had Itachi trapped, their arms acting like cages that pinned him to a corner. The Iwa ninja had a giant boulder lifted to end the match. Yet, even when caged, with one hand on the floor to not fall, Itachi was also in the middle of his next move. He never finished it, as his fingers for his seal stopped.

The fighting had stopped, because in the arena, a third figure had appeared.

The Iwa kunoichi had her body twisted in an attacking position, her falchion blade unsheathed and pointed at Itachi's neck. In her free hand was a piece of parchment with a kanji on it.

Her eyes were filled with so much hatred, she could burn holes. Itachi took her hatred with a blank expression.

"Kill my teammate," she warned, "and I kill you."

The tension was heavy in the atmosphere. The kunoichi released such a dangerous blast of chakra that everyone in the audience felt it.

It was only when Itachi let his fingers drop that the kunoichi unraveled from her position.

The Iwa ninja dropped his boulder with a bulky thud. "What- Have you gone nuts?" he began. "I'm in the middle of a match here!"

The kunoichi lost her cool. With a slice of her blade, she chopped off a stone arm and freed Itachi from his stone prison, out of duty, respect, or plain anger. Then, she lashed out her frustrations by slicing every statue into cubes of stone. It was definitely anger.

"You crazy woman!" the Iwa ninja shouted, clapping his face in horror. "You know how long I've worked on th-"

"If it wasn't for this _crazy woman_," she gritted out, after annihilating all the statues, "some stupid pig-head would have been blasted to oblivion."

Her hand flew across him. I thought she had slapped him, but she only snatched something unseen. Suddenly, another piece of paper was between her fingers. Like a lion, she stalked over to his back and snatched another piece of paper.

And another hidden on the Iwa ninja's shoulder. And another on his leg. The papers were planted all over his body, yet no one had seen them until now.

When she was done, she had a total of nine tags. She shot them out high into the air.

"KAI!"

The papers exploded with an enormous force, in a heavy mass of fireballs. Everyone stared in awe, before one final explosion scattered debris everywhere. I shielded myself so shards of debris would not go into my eyes. Everyone in the audience was covered in dust.

The kunoichi was unfazed, though the Iwa ninja looked startled.

"Kai. One little word," she mocked. "While you were playing around with your little figures, you didn't notice yourself being transformed into a human bomb. Had I not caught him at the last minute…" Her tone was rising, but she stopped herself. She closed her eyes. "This match is over," she said, calm but bitter. To Itachi, she said, "You win."

She stepped toward him, and added, "For now. Uchiha, if I am a finalist, I will enjoy fighting you. _Very much_." With a flick of her fingers, she vanished.

While the Iwa ninja began to weep, more for the destruction of his statues than his defeat, Itachi got back up to his feet again.

The proctor had his mouth open. We waited for him to come around. "B-by means of interference, the winner shall be automatically be granted to the left side, Konoha shinobi, Uchiha Itachi!"

The audience gave half-hearted clap that grew to a full out boom. What a match! What a finale that could have been! Cheers were divided. Many rooted for the Iwa ninja, who, despite his close call with death, pulled it off into a heroic _escape_from death. He rocked his fists in the air and applauded for himself.

"Thank you! Too kind, too kind!" he laughed. "I love you all!"

Then, as he was leaving, he placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder. "Honor fighting you. Go for the championship, eh mate?"

Itachi met his eyes. A single nod, then Itachi disappeared as well, one step closer to victory. He watched from the balconies, and waited to see who would be declared his final opponent.

.

"Who…" The blades met. The kunoichi somersaulted back on three limbs for balance. "Was your master?"

Both the Iwa kunoichi and the Kiri ninja chose heavy swords, and had been dueling nonstop the moment the match started. The kunoichi had stolen the offensive position, but was unsuccessful in her attacks. She wielded her falchion with skill, switching from a stab to a slice with a twirl of her fingers. But no matter what she did, the Kiri ninja used the size of his sword to block. The sword was both a weapon and a shield, the worst obstacle in her path.

"Many people," the Kiri ninja said.

At a standstill, they clashed again and again. Metal clanged metal like a blacksmith repeatedly hammering away at his creation. Blue sparks ignited.

The kunoichi breathed heavily, thinking. Every time she went in, she was blocked, and then had to retreat to avoid his attack, which was hard given the size of his sword. The Kumo ninja had faced the same problem: how to get around that sword.

Disliking his answer, she pressed. "You have the qualifications of the Seven Mist Swordsmen."

The Kiri ninja chuckled, touching his mask. "Interesting deduction."

Her eyes narrowed. Then, she did something unexpected. She tossed away her sword, letting it skid away, and unlatched a summoning scroll instead.

"I am no fool. I will not try to out duel you in swordsmanship."

Amused, the Kiri ninja said, "You have stamina. You can keep going."

Suddenly, an enormous war hammer hung over her shoulder. Smirking, she placed her weight on one leg. "Oh, I _will_."

With a stomp of her foot, rocks floated up midair. Each rock was about the size of an overgrown watermelon. She swung her hammer and smashed one rock.

The outer shell of the rock shattered. Flying out of the rock shell was an orb. The orb cracked like a meteor, revealing bright orange flames.

The Kiri ninja rose his sword and blocked the stone. But the impact was strong enough to push him back several meters, and he dug his heels into the earth. The stone hissed, and landed onto the ground, still burning.

The kunoichi was not done. She whacked another rock in an ear-popping _bang_. Another missile flew. And another. The bangs were so loud, that even muffling my ears, I felt my head vibrating.

The Kiri ninja used his sword as a shield against the meteor shower. He growled when he saw the indents on his blade. The heat had scorched his steel raw.

After the second shower, he changed tactics. He swiped his hand along the edge of the blade. With his own blood, he wrote a word on the flat of the blade. Water.

He slammed his palm on the kanji. A hydra of water spiraled out.

Scratch that.

It was a flood. A hurricane. A _tsunami_.

The amount of water was overwhelming. The kunoichi braced herself against the colossal wall of water, and then vanished into the sea.

Both she and Kiri ninja drowned into the flood. The water rose at a tremendous rate, up hundreds of meters. Soon, water pooled over, and I lifted my feet up to my seat. Gin did the same.

The nobleman next to me freaked out, and demanded a footstool. Several other noblemen had footstools too, though the noble next to me came _extra _prepared. He whipped out an umbrella and hid behind it.

I rolled my eyes. That was totally going to help him.

Luckily for us, the water did not reach any higher.

The arena had turned into a swimming pool. The Kiri ninja resurfaced, lifted by his nature. Now that he was level with the audience, he looked _giant_.

With a blast, the kunoichi leaped out as well.

On her way down, she smashed the surface of the pool with her war hammer. Her chakra created ripples, which turned into tides, which became crashing waves. The Kiri ninja redirected the water sent his way.

The audience could not do that.

The barrier guards were still gawking, and before they reacted, the first and worst wave was already here. The wave went through the half-on barrier, soaking me head-to-toe with sea water that smelled of rotten seaweed and fish.

"Nice," I muttered, holding up a wet bang of hair tangled in green mucus. Gin lifted his cap and was greeted by a shower. In his hair was a flopping fish. His expression was priceless.

Meanwhile, the kunoichi stood on her surface of the water, war hammer swung over her shoulder.

"I seem to have underestimated your chakra reserves," she said. "It's almost unhuman."

She lifted her arm. The water beneath her feet bubbled, and then spat out a soggy rock covered in mildew. She frowned. The rock dropped back down into the water with a splash, and sunk.

"You recomposed the minerals and ores in the soil into unusable sediments. And you replaced water as the matrix," she observed.

"I hope you aren't too disappointed." The Kiri ninja said. "I doubt water is your nature."

She was displeased and dropped her hammer. "Never assume. Still, I cannot dry this puddle. So…" She rebounded, and her confidence was unquestioned. In even paces, she approached the Kiri ninja. A spear appeared in her hands. "I guess I'll go fishing."

The kunoichi was at a disadvantage, and yet, she did not bat an eyelash. She began her own tango, fearless.

Her style was not like Itachi's; he was drawn into his surroundings and flowed with the air. Like fire.

Her style was not like the Kumo ninja's; his line motions allowed him to slash through and avoid. Like lightning.

Nor was her style like her teammate's; he molded the world around him to suit his needs. Like rock.

She did not join nature, nor avoid it, nor change it. Instead, she made her own path and pushed aside the attacks with brute force. She went straight through the tide of water. Just like...

"Metal," the Kiri ninja said, impressed when the spear in her hands drew the first wound of the battle. "It bears water." He drew second blood a second later. His sword sliced into her thigh.

"A drop in the bucket," she finished the proverb, pulling her spear out of his lungs.

"A blow for a blow. Whether a trade or a sacrifice," the Kiri ninja said, "both… were such a shame…" The clone exploded into a burst of water. "Don't you agree?" the real Kiri ninja asked, his weapon at her shoulder.

"Don't flatter yourself," she said, grinning, though her blood weakened her look. The wound kept her from dodging, and the Kiri ninja sliced her half. "The two are hardly equal," her clone said as it disappeared. Her spear sunk into the water.

Her new weapon came assaulting. A flail dug into the Kiri ninja's side, as the chains wrapped around him. She tightened the chains around the Kiri ninja and his sword, digging the spiked mace deeper into him.

"Barbaric woman," the Kiri ninja said. "Really _is_a pity." She did not flinch.

She was tall, strong, and rarely impressed. He did not impress her, as she snagged the chains to pull him closer to her until they were glued together. Close, she stared into the holes of his mask, and caught a glimpse of the person none of us could see.

"I refuse…" she snarled, her breath leaving a mist on his mask. Her falchion rose from the water and flew into her free hand. "To go down without taking down a bloody Mist Swordsman first. If I can't touch the Uchiha, at least I'll have the pleasure of doing _this_!"

With that, she stabbed her opponent in the chest.

"A blow…"

"For a blow," she finished, just as the water shot her spear through her body.

When she collapsed, the water released her ankles. She fell into the pool, defeated.

"Metal carries water," the Kiri ninja chuckled, as he broke free of her chains and pried out the mace from his side. "But water rusts metal."

The Iwa ninja dove into the arena after the kunoichi.

The proctor announced the winner, and the crowd was in an uproar. The kunoichi was popular, and after her defeat, insults were thrown everywhere. Iwa was mad, since the semi-finals did a double knockout of their team players.

The Kiri ninja ignored the booing from the crowd, and pulled out the falchion from his chest. His trench coat was sliced and stained in blood. But the kunoichi did not hurt any of his important organs, and he had no worse than a flesh wound. Some point earlier in the match, the kunoichi had known she was out of the game, and spared the Kiri ninja a chance against Itachi.

The Kiri ninja did not take her mercy without consideration, and looked at Itachi. From the balcony, Itachi had his own thoughts. He stared back. Then, he left for the halls. The Kiri ninja stole another glance at the red water where the kunoichi sunk in, before he hatched his sword on his back and jumped to the medics.

Minutes later, a head burst out of the water.

"Crazy woman… destroying my hard work… making me all wet…" the Iwa ninja muttered as he lifted his teammate out of the water, carrying her body bridal-style.

With unease, I watched the medics crowd around the Iwa duo.

The blood made me worried for Itachi again. There was a chance Itachi would succeed where both Kumo and Iwa failed. There was a chance to be with Shisui in ranks again and have his father stop being so harsh on him. But the more I watched of this tournament, the more afraid I became, because there was a chance he could get hurt too.

While the matches were entertainment for the rest of us, he was in real risk of death.

I sighed and buried myself into my lap. I wondered who I was really worried for. Itachi, child prodigy of the infamous Uchiha clan. Or me, who would not survive a match like this in a million years.

"You okay?" Gin asked.

"Yeah." I shivered and hugged my knees tighter, wondering why the sun had to hide behind a cloud when I needed it.

Gin did not buy my lie. "You don't look okay."

"No, I'm to-tot-totaa-A-ACHOO!" I sneezed, splashing Gin with a mix of seaweed and algae. The nobleman hiding behind his umbrella glanced over just in time to be in the line of fire as well. With a pinched expression, he wiped his face of my gunk.

"I'm totally fine?" I laughed, rubbing my nose.

Gin gave me the deadpan, then got up and offered a hand. "Come on, let's get you a towel."

Good plan. My dad and I were both prone to colds when we got wet, and last thing I wanted was to get sick.

As Gin and I walked around during intermission, I saw vendors selling towels, umbrellas, and raincoats. Apparently, getting splashed by ocean water was not worst thing to happen during Chuunin Exam matches, considering the vendors also sold things like fireproof jackets, suntan oils, insect repellants, heavy army boots, goggles and ear plugs, breathing masks, moist towelettes, and ghost exorcising charms.

A towel would be great, but Gin and I were broke. So I went looking for a bathroom, while Gin tried to cash in Mr. Floppers, his fish. Hey, there was no fresher sushi than that!

I trudged through the flood, splashing past the floating cups and garbage. I found an entrance to the hallways and climbed the stairs. My sandals squeaked with each step.

However, there was no bathroom in sight, and I regretted not asking for directions.

"Ah shi- aACHOO!" I sneezed again. And again.

Annoyed, I was ready to rant to the security guards about the engineers behind the arena. Why was there no AC during noon, when it was boiling hot, and plenty of AC during the afternoon, when it then was freezing, _especially _after a dip in sea water!

A voice broke me out of my angry thoughts.

"Bless you."

My mind went from roller coaster to a crash stop.

My eyebrows shot up at the eerily familiar voice that could not _possibly _be from _him._Had to be some stranger that sounded an awful lot like _him_.

I was ready to turn around and say "Thank you" to the stranger, thereby confirming that he was indeed not who I thought he was, when I felt something warm wrap around me.

Since when did strangers give out free towels?

"Are you lost, Ayae?"

SINCE WHEN DID FREE-TOWEL-GIVING STRANGERS THAT HAVE AN EERILY FAMILIAR VOICE KNOW MY NAME?

"I-Itachi?"

Itachi was there when I turned around. I rubbed my eyes and did a double take to triple-quadruple check, because the chances of Itachi standing within twenty meters from me and giving me a towel would be, let's see, _none_.

Flabbergasted, I did what I did best. I blabbed.

"Wha- When- How- I thought-" I made myself stop. Instead, I asked, "Are you real?" I patted him all over, poked and jabbed to make sure I was not crazy.

"I'm not a clone, if that is your question," Itachi said, uncomfortable when I tugged on a few strands of his hair. His hair had really gotten long.

I met his eyes.

In that moment, I realized two years change people. Up close, I could see he looked strange. _Different_.

It was not his face, or his clothes, or anything in particular than made him different, though like me, he did grow a lot. It was mostly his eyes. From his eyes, I could tell he thought a little differently than the Itachi I knew. Acted a little differently, talked a little differently, _was_little different.

He was the boy I met when I first came to Konoha. He was not the _same_boy.

"Ayae?"

I snapped out of my thoughts, and found myself close to his face. I burned red and backed away like he was the plague.

As if that was not awkward enough, the silence afterward was horrible.

I was at a loss for words. I only came to the Chuunin Exam to make sure after all these years, Itachi was doing okay. I expected him to finish the tournament and move on with his life. I did not think I would ever go back to being a part of his life again. I did not think I would meet him like this.

I wanted for him to say something first, anything at all. But he was waiting for me.

Half-heartedly, I wished I could remember the _Itachi is a horrible friend for avoiding me_rants I had come up when I was younger.

Half-heartedly, Itachi gave a small smile, looking like he was ready to listen to them all.

But I had no rants, and no words. I had nothing but a sigh and questioning look in my eyes. _Why_?

His smile faded, before he looked away. He could not say anything.

I kept my mouth glued shut. Itachi should not expect me to be the one to always talk.

We were at a stalemate.

I was surprised when Itachi cracked first.

"Ayae…" he began, taking a step closer.

My feet took the same step back.

Itachi stopped. Suddenly, he looked scared of coming closer, and backed away. "Maybe I shouldn't have come," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

I was alarmed. I needed my mouth to create any words, to stop him from leaving. "Stop! Err… Itachi, wait. I… um, can we talk… a bit?"

He took another step back. He said nothing, only looking at me and waiting. I did not know what he wanted from me. Whatever magic that drove Itachi to meet me had turned to dried-up pixie dust.

"There is nothing to talk about. I owed an apology. That's all." With that, he turned away.

Something was at the tip of my tongue, but it came too late. He already vanished.

I stood in the hallway, dumbfounded. Then, I banged my head against the wall. Itachi had walked up to me, offered me a towel, and waited for me to talk. And I let the chance go. Oh, let me die.

I let out another sneeze.

That was when I heard my name called. "Ayae!"

Itachi's name was on my lips. But this was not him.

I saw a red cap. Gin ran to me at a crazy speed, half water sliding, half long jumping over. I raised a hand to greet him when he knocked the air out of me and dragged me along with him in his insane sprint. As I half darted, half hopped on one leg to keep up with him, I muffled angrily through his palm.

The next thing I knew, Gin was shaking a knob of some door. I was rudely shoved in, and my butt fell flat on a wet mop. Meanwhile, Gin closed the door and pulled me deep into the janitor's closet.

"Wh-"

Gin covered my mouth. "Don't. Talk." he whispered.

I never listened to him, and pried his hand away. "Gin-" I got muffled again.

"Ayae… _shh._" He sounded scared.

I went quiet and sat still, my leg in a bucket, my back against coils of tubing, my elbow against a box of detergent. I lowered one knee and tried to untangle our legs, causing a plastic bottle to drop. Gin winced at the noise, and locked my arms tighter with his.

Thirty seconds of silence, and I heard footsteps approaching, one set heavy, another tiptoed.

I heard voices with the footsteps. I could not tell who they were until they came close to the closet we were in.

"-impaled by a _girl_?" the nobleman scoffed. "And that little rodent is still unharmed! Hmph! Well, that _can_be good. People are fickle. They'll put all their money on him now, seeing you were injured by a _girl_. How_pathetic_."

The Kiri ninja growled but said nothing.

Their footsteps got closer and closer. They stopped right in front of our door. Gin and I exchanged a look, and peeked into the keyhole.

"Yet, the odds will make all the more money when I win," the sake-breath noble said, thoughtfully, before he jabbed a boney finger at the Kiri ninja's chest. "But you are getting sloppy. It's one thing to look convincing, but you still have to _win_. Remember, I have twenty million ryou on you. If you don't pull through- Eeh! H-how dare you touch me! P-put me d-d-down or… or…"

"Or what?" the Kiri ninja threatened, having the nobleman by the collar.

Sake-breath would have peed in his pants. "O-or you'll be the one to p-pay for it! You'll never see a cent of mine! N-now, let me d-down! This is one hundred percent silk and, look, you're creasing it!"

"Five thousand ryou? I think I can manage without." The Kiri ninja dropped him and walked down the hall.

Sake-breath scrambled to get up. "You _will_win!" he shouted, pointing at him.

"You say it as if I won't."

Soon, their footsteps trailed off.

Gin pressed his ears to the door. When he was sure they were gone, he turned to me.

"Ayae, you heard that, right?"

"Yeah? So what?" I asked. Just seemed like the Kiri ninja and my seat neighbor were not buddy-buddy.

"So _what_?!" he hissed, distressed that I was not distressed.

"I don't see why you dragged me-"

"Ayae! Remember lecture! Remember what Teacher Funeno told us in the beginning of the year!"

I sighed, wondering why Gin was bringing my failing grades into this. "Something about the missions, ranks, status and… whatnots…"

"And that ninjas are _hired_!" Gin said. "That guy you sat next to _hired _a jounin-leveled ninja to enter the tournament, and rigged the whole thing!"

"_What?_"

"Listen, we need to bail your cousin out of his next match _now_," he said. "I have no idea how the Kiri guy managed to fool the proctors but-"

I shook my head. "Okay, _what_? No! That can't be, because that would be cheating and-"

The door slammed open.

"And illegal?" a voice chuckled.

We grew wide eyed as the lock fell in pieces on the ground.

"I thought I spot a few bugs."

Below in the arena, the Kiri ninja had not looked too big. When the water leveled him to the audience, he looked giant. But right now, up close, he was enormous enough to eat me.

"If Konoha children think they could conceal their presence by hiding in a closet, I pity." He jerked his head in the direction of the floor.

I looked down and wanted to slap myself. On the hallway floor were wet footprints leading right to our door, and none leading out.

Sometimes, mistakes like that were fatal. Everything sunk in, mostly the fact that an illegal assassin, who was in a scam with a nobleman to make millions of ryou, just found two kids who heard it all. I briefly calculated my likeliness of survival.

Then I screamed.

That was the plan A taught in the Academy, although truthfully, my mind was nowhere near safety rules. Kids tended to scream when they realized they were fish food.

Gin had his own reaction. He slammed a broom at the Kiri ninja. The Kiri ninja caught the broom and snapped it in his fist, but Gin stalled him long enough to take my arm and slip past.

We ran like no tomorrow for the nearest exit. We got ten meters in before plan B failed too. In a flash, the Kiri ninja was in front of us, blocking the stairwell. Gin yanked me the other way before we got blocked again.

That left plan C. Bluff. "Y-you can't hurt us," Gin said. "There will be security guards, and you'll go to jail."

The Kiri ninja chuckled. "I don't see any right now."

He had a point. I slapped myself for agreeing with my murderer.

Plan D. Beg for mercy. "We won't tell anyone!" I said. The Kiri ninja saw through my lie. Hell, even _I_saw right through my lie.

That left plan E. Man, the Ninja Academy was useless. Who wrote our textbooks? I needed to send a complaint to the publisher, because who seriously puts down '_Pray for a miracle_' as plan E?

My world went black.

If I survived this, I was bringing up the stupidity of survival books to our teachers.

.

"-ae? Ayae! AYAE!"

I woke up to a headache, and whacked at Gin to stop shaking me. The world was a blur of colors and sounds, and I wanted to curl inward and go back to sleep.

"She's conscious," said a female voice. "Let's go."

"Eh? We can't leave these children here after finding them tied up in a closet." A man's voice. "We should bring them to a medic."

"No, _we_are going to watch the match. I want to see the Uchiha shredded to pieces and the bastard that cut me blasted to oblivion." There was a step, then a strained pause.

"You'll reopen your wound if you keep moving like that." A sigh. "Should we not give any consideration to the boy's story? The star pupil of our master defeated in a mere Chuunin Exam? No way, mate. That was a cheat, and your opponent had to be a jounin."

"Who's to say that Uchiha brat didn't cheat either?"

"You defending my loss now? Aw, how swee-" An _oomph_.

"Don't flatter yourself. As far as I know, his clan could be manipulating everything. Those children could be part of Konoha's plot to force us to interfere and get disqualified again, although they're lacking originality on this one. You've lost your previous Exam because you defended some Suna-nin who played you like a fool. I've already stepped in once to save your ass, and been dealt a warning. If either of us stops a match twice, we're out."

"Eh, if you won't, I will-"

"Fool!"

"It's a small price compared to what the Uchiha child will pay. The best would be incapacitated, the worst be death."

"And yet, I seem to recall that _he_would have killed _you_. The Uchiha has the option to forfeit. If not, that's his own downfall. If anything, he and the rest of his clan deserve a taste of their own bitter medicine."

The man's voice sounded sad. "You'd risk an innocent life for the suffering of others?"

"Because of the Uchiha, Iwa lost over _fifty thousand _innocent lives! Go if you want, but I will not. I will watch the match." Heels trailed down the hall.

The Iwa ninja stood, frowning. He noticed I was looking his way and let his shoulders drop. He squatted down. "Is your friend okay now, mate? Good thing my partner insisted on leaving early or we would have never have heard you."

"I think Ayae's coming around," Gin said.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. As Gin helped me up, I wobbled, hanging on to the ledge of the closet. I felt coils of rope slide off me. "What happened?"

Everything came back to me. I jumped up, and shook away the dizziness. "Itachi. We've got to help Itachi. He's going to get hurt!"

"About time you're back," Gin grunted. "Hey! Where are you-"

I broke into a run, trying to find the way back to the arena. I climbed two steps at a time at the stairwell and headed toward the noise of the crowds. The light outside blinded me.

I was in the contestant's balcony. The Iwa kunoichi stood against the railing, eyes on the match. She was unfazed when something whipped up past her, fluttering her hair.

I stammered back. A water shark had seared through the sky, and then crashed down into the pool below, splashing the stadium.

Cautiously, I stepped next to the kunoichi and clutched the railings. I dared to look down.

The Kiri ninja stood on the waves. Itachi was nowhere to be seen.

Without warning, a water _dragon _shot up at the Kiri ninja. The Kiri ninja was sent into the air, snarled between the teeth of the dragon. He sliced the dragon down the mouth with his blade. The dragon split into two twin dragons, weaving with each other and dancing in the air. They reunited into one and came back down to attack the Kiri ninja again.

A water shark shot up to match the dragon. Both clashed in an explosion of water. The shock wave shook the stadium. I embraced myself, as the showers of water came crashing my way. When the showers were over, I gasped for breath, and wiped the water from my eyes.

A hand broke free of the water and slammed down on the pool, making the water look solid. Water steamed as Itachi pulled himself up from his underwater prison. He knelt, clutching his chest and coughing. His clothes clung to his body, water dripped from his hair. Surrounding him was a thin veil of steam.

"I hope I captured your attention," the Kiri ninja said. His voice was different. It was sinister, enough to send me shivering all over. "You seemed distracted."

When Itachi found his breath, he forced himself up. "It will not happen again," he whispered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

The kunoichi chuckled. "Looks like the boy learned from my match. He should have been finished the moment the water dragged him down. But he manipulated the water on the surface instead and distracted his opponent long enough to break free. And now he's burning the soles of his feet with fire chakra to prevent from being stuck to the water again."

The Iwa ninja arrived with Gin. "He's duo natured?"

"I'm surprised too," she said. "Before you call the proctors, why not watch first and see how far the Uchiha can take this?"

Gin clung to the railing next to me. Neither of us could keep track of what was going on. Bullets, walls, and vortexes of water happened so fast that I did not know who was creating what.

"Your cousin is using the water like that Kiri guy!" Gin said, shocked. "That can't be possible!"

A tornado of water crashed our way, met by another tornado. Gin and I backed away from the railing, gasping at the sheer force of the winds. Gin and I turned and ran, both tripping. Thankfully, the Iwa ninja caught us. I glanced back in time to be hit with a wave of heat from a fireball, followed by another pellet of rain. I could not see what was happened below, but I saw the sky, how the clouds swirled from the heating and cooling.

"So it seems, eh?" the Iwa ninja mused. "Maybe you would not have won after all," he told the kunoichi. "You were the strongest in this competition, able to combine Earth and Fire chakra, but even you don't have the skill to use both separately, for different purposes, and polar natures at that."

She snarled. "Someone else could be commanding the water."

"No. He's choreographing everything. I'm impressed," the Iwa ninja said. "Fire is directed to his feet to steer clear the water's pull. At the same time the water is commanded by his hands."

"Tch."

Peeking below the railings again, I watched Itachi dodge spikes of water trying to trap his ankles, dancing on the surface of the water. His body moved to avoid the traps, as his hands blurred from one sign to the next, his eyes focused on controlling the water dragon.

But the water at his feet got smarter, and shaped into a net. It snatched his leg and pulled him to a stop. Itachi took a second to cut the water chain with fire. That second, he lost connection with the dragon. The shark devoured the dragon, and then dove down. Itachi somersaulted away again in time, but got caught in the shock wave.

Itachi was slowing down. On the other hand, Kiri ninja never moved from his spot, his chakra endless.

"Tired yet?" the Kiri ninja taunted. "There's no place to run to. The entire field is water, and where there's water, it will trap you. You're in an endless minefield."

Not able to keep up to speed with the water, Itachi stayed and let the water claim him. He exploded into water, revealing to be a clone.

"I am aware," Itachi muttered from a different location. The water got that clone too.

"Perhaps it's not wise to delay this anymore." Another explosion.

By the time I found where the real one was, something unlocked. A bracelet fell and created a giant splash in the water.

"About time," the Kiri ninja laughed. "Let's end this."

He disappeared. Itachi disappeared.

Everyone was quiet, listening to the disturbances in the field, the monsters of water clawing at each other, and the clashes of metal.

This was no longer any Chuunin Exam. The two contestants moved at speeds the eye cannot see. The crowd was in awe. The proctors were alerted. The guards were stiff, disbelieving. The Hokage and Mizukage smiled, as if both knew something no one else did.

My eyes followed the shark. It flew past the Uchiha clan, and through the blizzard of water, I saw Shisui grinning.

Everyone was captivated, and I was left breathless too, as a phoenix screeched into the sky, overshadowing the sun. The swirling clouds above had darkened and the arena flooded with pouring rain. Umbrellas were barely opened when the match ended.

"You've wasted the last of your chakra with that move. You've missed, and you've lost," the Kiri ninja said, flashing and appearing in the middle of the arena.

Itachi appeared too, collapsing back and sitting a few meters away from his opponent, breathing heavily. Chains of water crept up his limbs, trapping him again, but he kept his eyes on the crying sky.

I was surprised to see Itachi was smiling. It was as if the match did not matter much anymore. Nothing mattered anymore. Itachi was not scared, nor frustrated, nor anxious. He found his peace in the eye of the storm.

"You were stronger than I thought. Who sent you to fight me?" Itachi asked, looking up at the Kiri ninja.

Ignoring the question, the Kiri ninja growled, "Why didn't you use the Sharingan?"

"How did you know I possessed the Sharingan?" Itachi played.

"Everyone knows you do." The Kiri ninja slammed his sword next to his opponent. "So. Why. Did. You. Not. Use. It."

"Does it bother you if I don't?" Itachi asked, closing his eyes. "Very well, then."

When his eyes reopened, his eyes were red.

Shocked, I stepped a foot back. "W-what's with Itachi's eyes?"

"I think that's…"

"The Sharingan finally showed itself," the kunoichi said, her hand grasping the railing so hard that the metal started to bend. I felt the Iwa ninja leave my side to calm his teammate.

"Why do you insist on seeing these eyes?" Itachi asked. "Am I that much of a bore without them?"

The Kiri ninja was done. "You are too arrogant for your own good." He lifted his sword and slammed it down. The sword stopped before Itachi's face. The water had risen to make a shield. The metal chipped, and the sword broke apart.

The water binds around Itachi's limbs loosened and splashed down. Instead, the water began to snake around the Kiri ninja.

"Perhaps I am."

A fin circled around Itachi, before the water shark appeared by Itachi's side, revealing its teeth to the Kiri ninja.

"Perhaps it was foolish to think I would win without using what my blood gifted me with."

The rain poured. The shark attacked the Kiri ninja. The arena was in a wild storm. Barriers were on full force to protect the audience, as tidal waves and sharks ate the Kiri ninja, pulling him into the watery depths.

"Perhaps I should stop running away now," Itachi whispered. His gaze connected with mine. Then his eyes closed, and a wave of water blocked my view of him.

Everyone in was amidst a hurricane. Water funneled toward the sky, fueling the black sky. Plates of rock rose to protect us. By the time the Iwa ninja lowered the rocks, the arena was a muddied battlefield, the pool gone. Instead, rain poured from the skies.

The Kiri ninja was spat out of the hurricane, fallen to the ground. Itachi was sitting as well, leaning against a fragment of the Kiri ninja's giant sword. For a while, two opponents sat in the middle of the mess, saying no words and letting the rain clean. The dirt on smeared on Itachi's cheek was washing off, his hair continuing to drip.

Itachi stood up. His eyes were normal.

"Then again, I thought it would have been anti-climatic if the match ended so abruptly. It's time to wake up. I have nothing left to prove."

I did not understand what he meant. Neither did anyone else.

Then, I felt light beams shine down on my back.

The sun? But the rain-

I looked up. To my surprise, it was sunny. There was not a cloud in the sky, let alone any rain.

It really was time to wake up.

The field was dry. Slowly, the illusion faded, as Itachi stood in the center of the arena, without a scratch, without a blemish, without a drop of water on him. He was leaning against the Kiri ninja's sword, which was undamaged and half planted in the earth. The character drawn in blood was still here.

My own hair was wet from before the match, but my skin was dry. The crowd looked confused as they lifted and looked at their dry umbrellas, the same battered umbrellas that became brand new, having never touched a drop of rain.

Their clothes were dry.

Their seats were dry.

The railing was dry.

The floor was dry.

Everything was _dry_.

There were _birds _in the sky.

"I believe I won," Itachi said.

The Kiri ninja made no move to get up. "We will meet again."

"You will reveal your identity the next time," Itachi said, offering a hand.

Surprised, the Kiri ninja said nothing. Then he laughed. "No gloves. No mask. And no mercy the next time I see you, Uchiha. Your genjutsu trick won't work on me twice." The Kiri ninja was still chuckling when he vanished into vapor.

While the audience was in shell shock, the Kages were entertained. The Mizukage was the first clap.

"My, you have a prodigy here in Konoha, Respected Hokage," the Mizukage congratulated. "I believe that child there has just captured the attention of every client in the crowd. Ninjutsu in the first match. Taijutsu in second. And genjutsu in the finale. He sure knows how to entertain, and how to sell himself as a ninja." Getting up, he walked away, his robes fluttering behind. "He even defeated our best. I'm almost jealous..."

His voice ebbed away, while his clap spread and echoed throughout the stadium. The clapping was contagious, and before long, the crowd was standing, cheering, laughing, roaring. I clapped my hands together too, numbly.

Itachi won the tournament. He won the tournament, yet was not affected. He stared up at the contestant's balcony. Stared at _me_. And he was smiling, though sadly. He whispered something. Unfortunately, those words were lost in the noise of the stadium.

And maybe that was part of his intention too.


	12. Delicacy Arc: Bougainvillea and Cypress

"Did you hear? The entire village has been talking about the Chuunin Exam."

"I know! There was royalty! A whole group of people were crowding over the resorts to see them."

"My sister was swooning over this foreign guy she met at the market! My brother was head over heels for the guy's girlfriend!"

"Now that you bring that up, I've seen people with weird clothes around too. I knew they weren't from Konoha. What senseless fashion!"

"Hey, I heard the winner this year was an Uchiha."

"No surprise there. They _always _win."

"Guess who that Uchiha was."

"Heard it was the heir. The you-know-who boy years back."

"No way! He's two years younger than us!"

"Yes way."

"Hey, isn't that the Uchiha girl from our school?"

"Oh yeah, I've seen her at lunch. She's not as interesting."

"Do you think she's also going to…"

"Psh, I think it's just the boys of the clan."

"Yeah, she's too normal. And she's not even cute."

"Shh, she'll hear."

Rolling my eyes, I turned away from the cluster of picnicking girls and back toward Gin, who was hurting another poor tree in Konoha's park.

I leaned back on a log and fanned myself, counting the times Gin's kunai hit the tree.

Forty eight.

Yawning, I closed my eyes. I listened to the giggling, the bicycle bells, a pair of jogging footsteps, some shouting. A _thud_. Forty nine.

A sneeze, followed by a curse.

The last thud sounded like the kunai dug in extra hard.

"Fifty, Gin," I said.

Gin was a pile of sweat and pants, which was expected since he just beat his personal kunai record.

I laughed at _my _own record - eight.

"Hey Gin, how about a break? Your sneezing has been getting worse since morning, and I don't want you to get sick."

Gin dropped dead on the field. Meanwhile, the tree stood in all its leafy glory, untried and unfazed, with only a few scratches in its bark. Needless to say, in this war between Gin and the tree, the tree was winning.

"I told you to stop counting at one hundred!" he cried into his cap. "And I'm not sick!"

"Um, yes you are."

"If I did, you gave it to me! And no, no I'm NOT! A-aa-AAH!"

"Aha!"

"Aaa-" Gin stopped himself. "See? I'm goo-aaCHOOO."

Gin was in denial. I did feel guilty about getting him sick during the Chuunin Exam. Still, his fault for training while half-dead and half-congested.

I watched him spring to life. With new determination, he gathered his kunai. Gin picked up the kunai in the grass, then pulled out the ones sticking to the tree. However, as he tried to pull out the last kunai, he found it was stuck. The kunai was wedged in deeper than the rest. Even when he dug his feet against the bark, and pulled with his weight, it would not to come out.

"Some help, Ayae?"

I jogging over. I yanked on the handle of the kunai with him, but the kunai was planted in. I tried again. The kunai did not budge.

"How hard did you throw?"

"Just pull!" he said. "On three!"

I nodded and gripped, one hand on the handle, the other on Gin's hand. "One… Two… THREE!"

I slammed my foot into the bark and pulled as hard as I could. The kunai slid out like butter. Unfortunately, while the kunai came out flying, we fell down crashing.

My head crashed into the grass, and Gin made a similar thump next to me. Sunbeams scattered. I squinted, then widened my eyes. Gin's kunai shot down toward us for revenge. So _that _was why our teacher told us to be careful around kunai.

But really, they were _school issued _kunai. For _ten _year olds. They were about as dangerous as a _pencil_. A pencil had a sharper tip too.

Something whooshed out and caught the kunai midair. I scrambled up and saw the little beast that caught Gin's kunai.

"Are you two alright?" Hana asked, trying to tame the other two puppies on her leash.

Gin punched his deflated hat. "Ugh, yeah. Hey! Tell that mutt to give it back!" he shouted, pointing to the furry creature that had his kunai. Gin charged at the puppy.

"What's up with him?" Hana asked me, raising an eyebrow. "His voice is funny, and he's usually not this… stupid."

Hana's observation skills had yet to fail her. Gin tackled the growling puppy, demanding his kunai back. The puppy snarled at Gin before running off. Gin snatched the leash in time, only to be dragged off like dead weight, sliding in the dirt.

I sweat dropped. "Gin's just going training crazy-"

"Aha! Gotcha… ah- ahh… ACHOOO! Dang! GIVE. THAT. BACK!"

"- and he's sick." I finished.

"Are you sure he's not allergic? I'll lead my dogs away if he's allergic to them."

"No, he's been sneezing before you came. He says he ain't sick, but I'm not sure," I said, scratching my head. "Anyway, Hana, what are you doing here?"

Hana smirked and presented her other two, more obedient, puppies. "Walking them. They are my responsibility. Say hello to the Grey Triplets, Haimaru Sankyoda. Whoa-!"

The two other dogs tackled me, tails wagging, and scratched to climb up my leg. I fell to the grass with them licking at me. I laughed and patted the two panting puppies.

"Seems they like you-"

"EEek!"

We jerked our heads over to see Hana's stray dog sending food flying at the picnic. The girls screamed. Gin tried to stop the puppy, but the puppy kept on dashing around, causing Gin to skid in grass.

"Oh no. I- Wait, aren't those upperclassmen from our school?" Hana watched her dog pounce on top of each girl. He sniffed the spilled cranberry sauce, before he dropped the kunai in his mouth, and licked the food. He then turned to one of the girls and jumped on her lap, nuzzling at her belly. Although hysterical before, the girls coveted the puppy, taking turns lifting him up and patting him.

"Aww, he's so cute."

"Look at those eyes!"

"I wanna keep him!"

Hana's puppy ate more cranberries while the girls cradled him.

Hana lowered an eyebrow in exasperation.

However, with a startled whine, the puppy was sent flying out of the girls' lap and dragged across the grass on his butt.

"I believe this is _mine, _and _this _is yours," a dirt-caked Gin muttered, giving the leash to Hana. The puppy growled.

Hana sat down next to me and let her dogs roam, while I picked up my fan again. After Gin got his kunai back, he went back to tree abuse. Hana's dog, the mischievous one earlier, took interest one of the missed kunai and chased it. He caught handle in his mouth and brought it back to Gin, proving to be helpful.

I closed my eyes.

After the Chuunin Examination, the sake-breath nobleman got interrogated by my relatives. The Iwa duo tipped them off after Gin and I pointed him out in the crowd. Since the police was entirely Uchiha, they were not nice. Their heir potentially getting hurt or shamed meant sake-breath was serving double time.

However, the Kiri ninja disappeared without a trace. Neither Konoha nor Kiri had any record of him, and the Mizukage apologized for any inconveniences, saying he knew little of this incident.

Whatever. All that mattered was Itachi won and the bad guy was locked up. Even my relatives were in a good mood, which was weird since most had a permanent case of sour-face.

Unfortunately, I could not see Itachi once since our awkward meeting. I had wanted to congratulate him after the Exam, but he was taken to a hospital to be checked for poison, jutsu, injuries, chakra, and all that other happy stuff.

_Then_Itachi was sent to the Hokage's office. The Kages and lords were quick in their decision. Itachi got his chuuninship, complete with a kit of weapons and jackets. Shisui showed me his own chuunin pack once, bragging about how awesome his sword was.

_Then_Itachi was invited to some ceremony with the Daimyo. He ate with them, discussing politics and things. Shisui mentioned something about how Itachi was hired as escort for them.

_Then_Itachi went to our clan's congratulatory "party" this morning. Shisui, as Itachi's closest friend and my spy buddy, told me about the party. You wear expensive clothes, drink expensive tea, and listen to old people talk. Oh, and bow a lot. I did not miss much. I was glad my dad and I were not invited.

"That feels really nice. Where did you get it?"

Hana's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I handed her my fan. "Present," I said.

She flipped the fan back and forth, examining both sides, before raising both eyebrows at the gush of wind.

"Interesting. Who gave it to you?" she said, inhaling the air.

"Cousin. He said he got it from the Wind country."

"Rich cousin," she mused.

"What?"

Bringing the fan to her nose, Hana sniffed the wood. "A lot of foreign scents. It even has traces of bougainvillea from the south and cypress from the north. The bamboo and silk are from the Rice country, judging from this quality. And this pigment is a mixture of ruddy sediments and black ore mined in Snow. Anywhere else, it would have that strong metallic odor to it and not deep of a color. But these chakra strings are definitely strung in the Wind country, because no other country has a business in that method."

I gawked at my friend. "How did you know all that?"

Hana tossed my fan back at me. She pointed to her nose, and smirking, told me, "See this? I've got over two and a half thousand smells memorized after studying with my parents. I'm aiming to reach ten thousand someday. All those smells are herbs and roots used for treating ailments at my parent's vet hospital, so it was easy to pick them up. But for a fan to have traveled through all those places, it must have been one expensive thing on the market."

I suppressed a snort and flapped my fan open again. "Yeah, sure," I played along.

"What?"

"Hana, the person who gave me this clings to his money like a monkey to his bananas. Not that your nose ain't amazing, but I don't think it's as pricey as you think."

Hana was wordless, but she recovered. "Ah, I'm still learning. Maybe the person selling it didn't know its worth. That, or it was made, not bought."

"Or, my cousin saw it on sale and bought it as a make-up present for burning down my house," I muttered, my eye twitching. "And make? He can't even braid hair. And he's never been to Rice or Snow or any of those places. The only person I even know that has is-"

I stopped and sharply turned to Hana.

_Itachi_.

I slapped myself. I could not believe I forgot my meeting with Shisui. Shisui had knocked on my window this morning. He told me he had a plan to sneak me into Itachi's impossible schedule. After his police duties today, I was supposed to meet him so he could tell me!

"What's wrong?" Hana asked.

"What time is it?" I asked frantically, standing up and searching for my backpack. I found it by the log and strapped it on.

"Maybe six? Why?"

"Damn, I'm going to miss him! Sorry, I got to go!"

"Where are you going?" Gin asked, at his eightieth hit, before sneezing into his sleeve. The puppy next to him looked at me too, a kunai in his mouth.

"Bless you! Sorry, but I have to go and find someone!" I was already running down the path out of the park. "Hana, make sure Gin doesn't kill himself!"

"See you, Ayae!" Hana called. Then, she turned to Gin. "And you, you know the more stress on your body, the worse your cold gets…?"

I took two steps at a time down the stony stairwell of death, out of the park and into the Konoha market district. It would take ten minutes or so to run from the market to the entertainment district.

From my pocket, I drew out a piece of paper mapping a tea shop. I pushed past the crowds on the streets and found a corner shop, barely noticeable. I stared at the sign, matching the name, and walked in.

The door chimed, and I was hit with the smell of tea.

"Shisui, sorry I'm la-" I closed my mouth, realizing how loud I was.

The place was not lively. Unlike the hustle and bustle of outside, the cafe was quiet and dim from the shades. I saw a shogi match in the back, played by old men. A teenager read a book by the window. Three visitors from Iwa, judging by their clothes, sat drinking.

I stood out of place, flushed and breathing heavily, having ran a marathon across the village. Why did Shisui pick to meet here?

I walked to the counter, trying to find Shisui. When I could not find him, I took a stool and sat down, staring up at the menu above.

My eye twitched. Okay. Tea shop. Of course they would sell _tea_. Only, I hated tea.

"What would you like, little miss?" the lady at the counter asked, wiping a porcelain cup. I liked her voice, melodic and soothing like the rest of the café. The lady also looked a little like Aunt Mikoto, only with fanned hair and a mole on the corner of her mouth.

"Um, a drink," I said, thinking back to that glass of lemonade earlier.

The lady placed the cup down on the counter and asked, "What kind will that be? Green? Black? White?"

I blinked. There was such a thing as white tea? All the tea I knew was a murky brown or disgusting mold green.

Sensing my confusing, the lady said, "Okay, little miss, tell me what taste suits you. Light or heavy?"

"Light."

"Sweet or non-sweet?"

"Sweet."

"Hot or cold?"

"Cold."

"And scented or no? Herbal?"

"Um." There were scents in tea? Herbs? Plants? What?

"Do you want it to smell flowery?" she tried again.

"Err, sure," I said, knowing the lady was being patient with me. Truthfully, I wanted something_NOT TEA._

"Iced sparkling jasmine, perhaps?" a voice beside me suggested.

"I was thinking the same thing," the lady said, smiling. "Would you like a serving of that, little miss?"

"I guess-"

I did a double take at the person sitting next to me and nearly fell down. My stool wobbled, loud and clanking before I gripped on the counter. The person next to me also extended a foot to lock the stool in place.

"Where did you come from?" I asked, hiding my embarrassment.

Itachi looked at me with a funny expression, wordless. Then he closed his eyes.

Thinking he did not hear me, I repeated in a less shaky voice, "I said, where-"

"I've been here, Ayae," Itachi said, taking another sip of tea before placing his cup down, his fingers laced around it for warmth. He exhaled, and I could tell how hot his drink was by the vapor. "But I believe a better question would be, why are you here?"

"I- Uh-" Okay. Think, Ayae, think. Why was Itachi was here? Why was _I _here? Right, to meet Shisui. To talk about... oh. I could not tell Itachi that I came to talk about him. That would be embarrassing. Damn, I needed to lie.

Meanwhile, Itachi waited. I stayed tongue-tied, trying to spit words out. "Because Shisui- Um, well I came to see him because he… kinda said- I mean, we were supposed to- He wanted to show me-"

"He lied," Itachi said.

While I tried to think of a believable lie, Itachi turned to the lady and pointed to an item on the chart. "One please." He was buying me time. Literally.

"Anything else?"

"The special. That will be all."

"Three forty five."

Itachi slid several bills across the counter to the lady, who counted and nodded, before going toward the back to prepare. If I was not busy racking my brain for a lie, I would be dropping my jaw at the price. Did she say three _hundred_and forty five ryou? Are they _nuts_?

Finally, Itachi's words clicked in my brain. "Wait, wait," I said. "What do you mean he _lied_?"

Itachi rose an eyebrow. "Is our cousin anywhere in sight?"

I blinked. Then, I realized. Shisui was not here. Itachi, on the other hand, was. Oh... damn.

Shisui had _set me up_!

"I can't believe him!" I said. "He said he'd be there!"

"I doubt that, Ayae. Shisui is supposed to be attending a police meeting along with his father at this time."

"Police meeting? He lied to me!"

"Is his lying that much of a shock?" Itachi asked, raising an eyebrow. "I find it an odd coincidence, though, that he requested you to meet him at this particular location at this particular time. Especially since he was aware of the fact he would not be able to make it. Why would he do that?"

Great, Itachi caught on. I imagined myself strangling a Shisui voodoo doll. On the outside, I shrugged. "I have no idea. Do _you_?"

Itachi smiled and said, "I'm sure he has his reasons."

"Your order." The lady presented Itachi a silver platter.

"Thank you." Turning to me, Itachi asked softly, "Will you be staying nonetheless?"

"I guess." Well, Shisui. Congratulations. You had done it. You finally got Itachi and me in the same room. Now what.

Itachi slid the platter toward me. "I'm glad then. It's been a long time."

On the platter between us were beautiful desserts, fresh from the oven. Yet, the little cakes looked too delicate to touch, let alone eat.

"Try one. You'll be surprised."

Since I had nothing to say anyway, I took up his offer and grabbed a cake. It was the size of a coin, powdered with dark brown and white. There was a swirl of a leaf in powder. I popped the cake in my mouth and bit down.

My senses were hit with bitter cocoa, and I was ready to spit it out when a creamy center melted in my mouth. Other spices came in, like a tint of cinnamon hidden in the swirl of white.

I sank in my chair, on a cloud of heaven.

"This is ama-!" I closed my mouth and swallowed. "This is amazing! It's better than cheesecake! Only, it'd be better without the brown stuff."

"Without some bitterness, the center is not nearly as sweet, wouldn't you agree?"

"Like chocolate!" I said, getting what he was saying, already looking for another one.

"There's only one of each. Try the strawberry."

I did, taking the cake with half of a strawberry capping the top. I loved strawberries. As soon it went in my mouth, I was hit with the flavor of the fruit, the tartness drowned by vanilla.

I saw a cup in front of me.

"Drink."

I happily did and washed away all the sweetness. "Hey, this isn't that sparkling whatever thing you ordered," I said, realizing the drink was warm.

"Isn't it sweet?"

"Well, yes! What is it?"

"Green tea."

I stopped, and looked at the cup in my hands. "But green tea is bitter," I said.

"Tea is surprisingly pleasant after dessert, even the most bitter. Take another one."

I did not need to be told twice, already biting down on a cake with pudding in the middle. Every cake was ridiculously small, but in one bite, every flavor was _perfect_.

"So which did you enjoy the most?" Itachi asked, taking a vanilla cake for himself.

"Definitely the first," I said, on my fifth, a tea mochi this time.

"Why?"

"Don't know. They are all good, but the first one was too…"

"Too perfect to ignore?" he finished for me.

"Hey, you knew that one was the best, didn't you?"

"You chose it, not me."

I grabbed my cup and gulped down the tea. The tea did not taste _that _bad. Fine, even the tea was also perfect. In my life of dessert indulging, I had never tasted anything more delicious. These were a ten out of ten in my book.

From my side, I watched Itachi watch me back.

"So, why are you here?" I asked, uncomfortable.

After a pause, he said, "I come here seeking solace."

"Oh," I said, and picked up another cake.

"Unfortunately," he continued, twirling his tea, "since it seems our nosy cousin discovered this place and now you know as well, it might be time to relocate."

I opened my mouth to eat before I heard his words and dropped the cake. Without thinking, I blurted, "Hey! So you can avoid me again?"

I was too loud, and heads turned in the cafe.

As I stared at Itachi angrily, he looked surprised.

"Why are you upset?" he whispered, reaching out his hand. He stopped himself and retracted his hand. Instead, he let his fingers interweave around his cup.

For some reason, those words made my blood boil. Why was I upset? Was that not _obvious?_

My fingers curled around my own cup, my legs crossed painfully at the ankle. "I don't know, Itachi. I don't know," I said sarcastically. "_You _mind filling me in?"

"Ayae-"

"You _know _why!" I said. "Prodigy of the Uchiha clan can't figure out _why _I'm mad? It ain't that hard!"

"No Ayae, I can't figure out why," he said softly. The cup in his grip was cracking. Although the room was chilly, and we had been here for a while, his tea did not seem to cool, only evaporating quicker. However, when his grip on the cup was gone, the steam vanished.

"Excuse me."

Itachi stood up, making his way to the exit of the tea shop. I jumped out of my own seat. The platter toppled over the edge, sending desserts all over the floor, knocking my cup over counter. Tea dripped down my seat and onto the floors.

"Wait!"

I found myself in the spotlight. Even the teenager had her eyes on me, deciding Itachi and I were more interesting than her novel.

The door chimed. Twice.

The air shifted. I was back in the ruckus of the streets and the humid, hot air. Itachi did not look back, ignoring my calls.

"Wait!" I screamed, pushing the people blocking my way and running to Itachi before I lost him again.

When I was close, within reach of him, I grabbed onto something, hoping it would stop him.

I could have grabbed his shoulder. His shirt. His hand. Hell, I could have jumped for his leg and pulled him down with me. But I did not.

Without thinking, I pulled, and metal gleamed in the air. It was childish to believe that by doing so, I could stop Itachi from leaving. That I could play a game of catch-me-if-you-can and run the other way. But I desperately wanted his attention.

I got it.

I did not know what I was doing. I did not know what made me to draw the new chuunin-issued sword strapped on Itachi's back. And I _really _did not know what was wrong with me when I pointed the sword at him.

But it _worked_, and I got the attention of not only Itachi, but everyone on the street.

The tip of the katana touched the back of Itachi's neck.

"I said _wait_."

.

It was so quiet I could hear leaves rustling in the wind.

My hand clutched the handle of the katana so tightly that my palm hurt.

All eyes were on _me_, the girl who drew a weapon out and dared challenge a chuunin in the open street.

Itachi tensed, his fingers twitching before the blade even touched him.

I felt a flush of emotions. Anxiety, fear, excitement. It was like a hunter walking into the red for the thrill of it, never knowing what might happen to him. Or an actress on the stage, aware she might make a mistake in front of a crowd.

Then again, it was safe-danger after all. The hunter knew his chances of danger were rare. The actress knew failure was not the end of her life. I knew Itachi would never hurt me.

Itachi did not snap my neck like he would with an opponent in the rink. His shoulders lost tension, his head turned toward me. The katana brushed against his neck as he did so, but he saw no threat, taking the tip of the katana in his fingers.

Still, he could not hide the concern in his eyes or the cautiousness in his voice.

"Ayae, please drop the sword," he said.

"Not until you promise to not leave," I said, tightening my grip.

Closing his eyes, he repeated, "Drop the sword."

"And if I don't?" I asked.

His eyes reopened at half mass. "What do you expect to accomplish?" he asked. His hand left the katana, causing the blade to land at the crook of his neck and shoulder.

I winced at his indifference, confused why I was more worried that the katana would accidentally hurt him than he was.

"I- I…"

I almost leaped back when Itachi walked toward me, one step at a time, the edge of the blade grazing against his skin. "If I don't, are you going to kill me?" he asked.

"W-what?!"

My eyes widened. In our closeness, his hands had clasped over mine, controlling the unsteady blade. He could have ripped my hands off the katana, but he did not. Instead, he held my hands, angling the sword so it dug into his skin. The blade did not slice, but I realized with horror that there was something wrong with Itachi.

The blade dug deeper, burying into his skin, but never cutting. My arms lowered accordingly, closing in our distance. My hands were so manipulated I lost all control over the katana. I could not pull the blade away from Itachi no matter how much I struggled.

Meanwhile, Itachi looked hypnotized, staring into me. I could not shake off how cold his hands were, icy in the hot air. And they shaped every one of my moves, like a puppeteer and its puppet, the katana dancing along.

Leaning forward, he tilted his head along the direction of the blade, his breath at my ear. Embarrassed, I opened my mouth to ask for space, but all words were clogged at my throat. My brain was in a halt. My chest tightened, my heart racing.

I should yell at him to back off. I should struggle against his grip, to save him from cutting his own neck. I should push him away before I fell from lack of oxygen because I stopped breathing.

Of course, I did none of that. I froze, not knowing why Itachi's closeness would cause these weird feelings. I had never been this flushed, and the hotter Itachi's breath was, the more my ears burned.

"My mother lied to you, Ayae," Itachi whispered in my ear. "The boon was poison, the love was hate, when he betrayed her…"

He paused and looked at me. His eyes were not blank anymore, but a novel of unsaid words. Only written in hieroglyphics, impossible to be read.

Eyes closed, he finished, "Death was his fate."

"W-what?"

"Do you wish to kill me too, Ayae?" he asked wryly.

I did not understand. All I knew was the knot of panic in my stomach. There was something dead in this boy, and I had no time to dally, not when the katana was so close to him. Not when Itachi looked like that.

I yanked the sword away to keep it from hurting him. His hands let go at the same time, as if he knew what I would do.

I pushed him away and stumbled back, the tip of the katana drawing an arc in the dirt. I kept backing away from Itachi, dragging the sword in the street. I stared at the unbroken skin at his neck, the lining where the blade pressed against him.

This was not Itachi, the winner of the Chuunin Exam. This was someone else, some ghost who I felt was going to fade away at any second like… like…

My mother. Who was never come back, no matter how many times I closed my eyes. My dad always told me of her wild hair, tall figure, the craziness, the laziness. But no matter how many stories he told, my mom's face faded. Not just a little. I felt like another piece of her was gone with every passing _day_.

I could not let Itachi fade like mom.

He could not.

He _would not_.

Clutching the hilt, I desperately thought of a way to keep Itachi from leaving. I had a bad feeling of the future. Yet, I felt powerless to change anything.

It was strange, because Itachi was the person with the brightest future, and more than capable of taking care of himself. But even then, I felt I needed to keep him by my side and keep him _safe_.

Gin was not the only one sick today. Yeah, Uchiha Ayae, second rate Academy student, was going to protect Uchiha Itachi, prodigy of our clan. How could I believe that Itachi would kill himself.

No. I stole his weapon, and this was Itachi's strange way of teaching me a lesson. Well, mission scaring-me-senseless done.

"Itachi, that's not funny," I snapped. I looked at the katana in my hand. Fear went down to my fingertips. This was not a toy. My dad did not even let me touch a kitchen knife or be near a stove. There was no way I could continue bargaining with the katana.

I bit my lips, wondering what I could do. Itachi made a situation that I had no idea how to deal with. Unlike Gin, who would charge at me and take away the katana by force, or Tamaki, who would try to persuade me with clever words, or Ayame, who would ask kindly and make me guilty, Itachi fed me fear and doubt, coldly slapping me from the delusion that I had any control over myself, let alone _him_.

He had trapped me, now waiting for me to drop the katana, run, and forget everything. He made me realize I would not, should not, and _could not _fight him.

That... that was just..._evil_!

Still, I still had a trick or two up my sleeve.

Giving the katana one final look, I made my decision.

Lips pursed, I stared at Itachi, challengingly. He was not leaving. I was not giving up. I held the sword in a double grip before I slammed the blade into the dirt, digging it in a few good centimeters.

Without warning, I locked my foot against the edge of the blade to keep it from slipping and pressed down against the hilt. To my delight, the blade began to bend. I grinned and said, "Itachi, promise me you will not leave, or I'll break your new katana."

My grin widened when Itachi's expression changed.

I waited. "Well?" I could do stupid things, I could throw temper tantrums, and I was not afraid of letting one loose.

I got sick of playing Itachi's mind-screwing games. There was no way on earth I could beat him at those. So I tossed out his gaming board and laying out _my _game, the one-way, yes or no, stupidity game, in which you had to be a stubborn idiot to win.

I put more and more of my weight on the katana, making it stretch. The katana would only take so much before snapping.

Alerted, Itachi stepped forward.

"Come closer and I'm breaking it," I said.

Half way on the second step, I pressed down harder, intent on keeping him at bay. I was serious.

He froze, staring at the stressed weapon, looking for ways of safely remove the sword away from me.

I did not wait around for him to find a way out. "Itachi, promise me," I said, forcing his gaze back to me.

"Ayae, stop this foolishness," he muttered.

"I will, if you promise me you won't leave me," I said.

"I can't do that." His tone was serious, wiping the grin off my face.

"Itachi," I gritted out, fearing my plan was no working. "Say you won't leave again, or I'll not only break this, I'll raid your house and burn everything ninja related with Shisui's sealing scroll."

"Please, Ayae, let go of the sword."

"No! I'm not letting go until you _promise_."

The sword was arcing sharply, making me wonder if the katana was that important to Itachi. It was clear that he was stressed, his hand clawing at his forehead before turning into a fist. I did not see what could be so hard. Neither one of us wanted the katana to break. It would land us both in trouble. But if Itachi said the words I wanted to hear, then we would both be happy.

But he had to force his next sentence out, straining to keep himself distant. "_I can't do that_," he said. "Let go of the katana, and I'll give you anything but that."

That got me interested. "Anything?" I asked. Anything, after all, is a _lot_of possible things. My mind flashed to the restaurants, clothes store, jewelry store, toys and games store. Then to the fanclub at school and what their reactions would be. Then Shisui, who would probably be doubling over in laughter and whispering devious pranks I could force upon Itachi.

I was not serious about his offer, but I was curious of how far Itachi would go.

"Anything," Itachi said, hopeful that I would take the offer.

I took the bait, and in a sing-song voice, said, "So… free meal at Suzuki's?" Suzuki's was Tamaki's favorite place to eat, with mad prices of five hundred ryou per person.

"Yes."

I went up to something more expensive. "Bicycle?"

That was a yes.

"Can I get a new in-style kimono on top of that?"

He nodded.

I upped the ante. "I mean, I want Emi's new gown that she has been designing." The one that made the Hyuuga clan hesitate to buy because the cloths were from eight countries, costing over a thousand ryou.

"It'll be yours."

"Actually, I change my mind. I want a necklace. It had orange and red gems, but it was too pricey," I hinted, thinking maybe Itachi did not know how much I would bleed his family's money. "I lost track of the number of digits…"

When Itachi agreed, I raised an eyebrow, wondering how much he valued the katana for him to buy anything that ridiculously expensive. "On second thought, I think the diamond necklace was prettier. Can you get it for me?" Okay, there was no way he would-

"Yes," he said, sending both my brows up.

"Can you afford it?"

"Is that what you wish?"

"If I say yes…?"

"I'll steal it if I must."

Goody-two-shoes, son of the _police chief_, and newly made chuunin stealing a diamond necklace… that picture did not add up. Itachi was lying. And am I getting jealous of this katana? Itachi would go that far for it?

"Would it be easier if you named a price?" Itachi sighed.

That was when I realized money was not going to cut it. I could ask for a million ryou and Itachi would promise to rob a nobleman if it meant removing my grip from the katana. I asked and was right.

What was with this katana? Some ancient Uchiha heirloom that I was not aware of? I thought it was just a plain chuunin-issued blade, so what would be making Itachi agree to these ridiculous demands? I continued, making them sillier.

"What if I asked you to kiss that lady in purple over there?" I asked, seeing how far I could take this.

Itachi was not amused. "If that is what you want."

"Nah, I meant Shisui," I teased, trying to hold in my laughter and not lose my upper position. I could tell Itachi was going along with this to see if I would slip and give him an open point to take the katana.

That was not happening.

"Let go of the blade and bring our cousin over here," he said. "I would gladly do so and murder him while I am at it, for causing this dilemma in the first place."

Okay, that was tempting. Really tempting. I hated Shisui at first, but now I thanked him for getting me and Itachi together like this.

"You wouldn't murder me if I made you kiss me would you?" I laughed, not realizing what I had said until it was too late. I snapped shut my mouth and hoped he had not caught that.

He did.

I did not dare lose eye contact with Itachi, but I wanted to look away after making that slip. Slight embarrassing, just slightly.

Shaking my head, I decided to drop the kissing thing, wondering if there was anything else I could think of that would make Itachi say no. That was, until I noticed…

He never did reply to that last one.

Itachi kept his lips sealed, dropping his gaze and focusing at the bending sword. The hilt was still in my grip. The tip was still locked into the ground by my feet. The metal was still stretching.

I was offended by his hesitation. He would agree to plant one on _Shisui _but not _me_? Despite finding a million things wrong with that question, I still pressed. "Itachi?"

Sighing, Itachi whispered, "Would that make you let go?" When I did not respond, too busy keeping my jaw from dropping, he closed his eyes. He was too tired to deal with my game anymore. "I see. Very well then."

My eyes widened.

Oh no, no, no. No. _Hell _no.

I was not serious about that.

Then again, it was not a bad deal. To brag that I kissed the winner of the Chuunin Exam. It was a jaw dropper at school and a blow to all those fan girls. And a get back at the princess. Plus, Itachi was not too…-

_What was I thinking._

"NO!" I blurted out, stopping him in his tracks. I must be crazy to give up everything for something as stupid as a kiss. Disgusting, germy spit, disgusting, germy spit, I reminded myself, knocking the brains back into my skull. "No, no, no! It wouldn't! Forget all that. Forget everything. Deal's off. I just want the promise."

I breathed my relief when Itachi stopped coming closer, keeping us apart.

"Just the promise," I sighed, forcing a smile.

However, he stayed frozen, his bangs hiding his eyes. I waited for a response, but he made none.

"I just want your promise to stay," I said. Come on. I was giving up diamonds here.

"I _can't_," he hissed, his voice seaming with an underlying current of… anger?

The idea of making Itachi angry scared me. His eyes were closed, his jaw shut, his hand in a fist at his side.

I watched his fist, my heart was in a panic. How angry had I made him?

Frowning, I told him in a firmer voice, "You aren't good at lying, you know that? You _can _so just promise me! Then I'll give you back the katana."

More silence.

My hands were pressed so hard against the hilt that my skin was scraping off. Yet, I held on tighter, frustrated that he would not say two simple words.

Why. Why. _Why_? "Why don't you just promise?"

I made it obvious I did not care for fancy shmancy jewelry. And it was not as if I was asking him to give me the moon.

Two words. That was all.

My knuckles turned white, my fingers numb.

I just wanted to hear two words. I promise. He did not even have to keep it.

"Just promise me, Itachi!"

He kept his silence.

Could he not hear how desperate I was? I was not complaining, but pleading now.

Could he not see how mad he made _me_?

Time ticked away. I was pushing my luck. He was pushing his luck. We were at a standstill. Neither of us would give in any further.

The silence released the steam within me. After an eternity, I wanted to forget it. I wanted to let go. Then walk away and return to my friends. Maybe this was not worth it. Had this been someone else, I would have long tossed the katana aside and went back to the park where Gin and Hana might still be waiting for me.

It was painfully obvious Itachi would not make such a simple promise. I had some hope that since he was not taking action, he might have been considering. No lightning moves, no clones, no genjutsu. He could have knocked me off my feet and taken the blade before I broke it, but he did not. That made me think there was a chance he wanted to come back too, and I just needed to give him a nudge.

I had hoped that he would stay, but nothing I say or do would. Not even this, and forcing him to give me empty promises did not seem worth the pain anymore.

Itachi was silent and listless. I was frustrated and defeated. This was not worth it.

Exhaling, I softened. I gave up.

He seemed shocked, and had every reason to be. Even I was not expecting to give up first.

As if we entered some agreement, his fist unclenched and my grip loosened. I let the sword to return to its former shape, bit by bit, while he stepped closer to me, one step at a time.

If this was a game, I lost. Or maybe, we both lost.

"Why. Why won't you promise," I asked when we were together again. I sounded like a deflated balloon.

"Why do you want me to," he asked. His own voice was dry.

My fingers were numb when he took my hand and pulled the katana away.

The blade was crooked and ruined. Instead of returning the katana to its sheath, Itachi tossed it high into the air behind him. I winced when the tip made impact with roof tiles, the sword jutting into the sky somewhere far away.

The weapon safely out of reach, Itachi returned to me. He lifted my hands and flipped them inward. "Your palm is red. Do you want to treat-"

"No!" I jerked them away from him, even though my hands wanted to hold his again, if only for the cold. I stepped back, wanting him to get out of my face.

For some reason, Itachi's kindness hurt. Why even bother when he would just disappear?!

I wanted to scream, cry, and hit Itachi over and over against, cursing at him. I wanted to throw a tantrum, and it was becoming harder to keep my eyes dry.

I distanced away in case tears flowed out. I blinked back the waterworks, and calmed myself.

I lost.

I lost, but I refused to let it end there.

Closing my eyes, I spoke, my voice in the same deflated tone, though coarser. "My dad always says that if you can't speak your mind, you find some other way. He said my mom wrote children's stories, and that was her way of letting others know herself."

I peeked through one eye and saw that Itachi was listening. I snapped the eyelid closed again. Encouraged, I continued, swaying from heel to toe, my hands laced behind my back.

"Once upon a time, I met a boy who said he was going to become a ninja. He had a nice mother, who could bake the best cookies ever, but a mean father, who would never him play with me.

"He was my friend. My first real friend. One day, he left to go training to become a ninja. I was okay with that and waited. And waited and waited. But he never came back. I still waited even after I had other friends to play with. It was a long time, but I kept on waiting because I thought he would come back someday."

"Ayae-"

"But _then_," I said, keeping my eyes closed. "But then, I learned that I did not have to wait anymore. I heard he became a ninja. It was happy news, because I thought he would finally come back. And he did. But, the person who came back was not him."

I opened my eyes and stared into Itachi's. I lowered my voice three knots and contorted my face. With as much venom as I could put into my voice, I said, "Do _you _know what happened to that boy? The one with the nice mother but mean father? Because _you aren't him_. The real Itachi would promise to stay with me. The real Itachi was the one who braided my hair and stayed by my side to watch me dance."

Without waiting for an answer, I whipped around and walked away.

"Please tell me when my friend comes back. I miss him. It hurts that he's gone."

It was the first time that I was the one to walk out. Itachi did not try to stop me.

Time moved again. I broke out of the little world that trapped Itachi and me together. I ignored the stares and whispers. The people around me were eyeballs, causing me to pick up the pace. Luckily, none of those people knew me.

I passed the tea shop. The teenager leaned against the window, book tucked away on her lap. She kept a locked gaze on me, looking at me with a mix of amusement and pity. Did she hear some of my yells on the street? Or was this still about the tray load of spilled food?

Having enough, I ran.

I had no destination as I zigzagged the streets, turning from one to the next without thinking. Before I knew it, I was at the southern entrance of the park. I slowed down, thinking I could spend time on a bench and calm myself. I walked along the path when I heard two people shouting my name. There were barks.

I was taken by surprise to see Gin, Hana, and three puppies jogging down the same path. They jumped on me and asked where I went.

"AYAE! You missed it, man! _Two _hundred, ten blindfolded, and thirty two in a ROW," Gin bragged after punching my arm. "You can ask her if you don't believe me! She and the mutts all saw me." Gin's grin spread wider as he rambled on.

I came around my shock and forced a smile. "T-that's sweet!" I said.

Gin nodded to himself, lifted his cap and waving it in the air. "You can expect your butt to be kicked tomorrow at school. _Ten_, Ayae, _ten_!"

I let him go on, rolling my eyes and adjusting the strap of my backpack to keep from fidgeting. Unfortunately, Hana sensed something wrong.

She pushed Gin aside. "Yeah, yeah, show offy pants. Glad to know you can count. We'll see if the guys don't get their butts handed to them tomorrow." Then she pulled me aside.

Hana forced me to walk in front as we went toward the exit. Once we were by the gate, she looked back and saw a mellow Gin strolling behind, out of earshot.

Concerned, she asked upfront, "What's wrong?"

Blinking, I opened my mouth, fibbing something up. "N-nothing! Of course, there _is _the fact that I don't believe Gin at all. I mean, his last record was twelve. Did he really get thirty two-"

Hana slapped me. Literally. Ouch.

"Okay, what happened? You have such a miserable look that I assumed you escaped a blender. Plus, I smell tears and a lie."

"You can't smell tears!" I said.

"Yes. Yes, I can. So stop lying to me."

"I can't. Lying runs in the family," I said sarcastically.

Hana growled. The puppies bobbled their heads back and forth to follow the conversation. They copied Hana and growled as well.

Ignoring how outnumbered I was, I sighed. "_Really _Hana. Nothing."

"I won't tell anyone. Now what is it. Is it a bully, because-" She cracked her knuckles.

"No! No, it wasn't! It's _nothing_! I'm fine! See?" I smiled and did a double thumbs-up.

She did not buy my act, handing me an unimpressed look. However, when she saw that I was not going to spill, she wrinkled her nose.

"Fine, don't tell me," she snorted. "I just hope it wasn't your cousin who did this to you."

I froze.

She grinned.

"W-what?" How did she know?

She did not. "So I'm _not _wrong." From her backpack, she withdrew something. Flapping the fan open, she inhaled the air before snapping it back close and handing it back to me. "It fell out of your backpack when you ran out on us. Bougainvillea from south, cypress from north, and one distinct human scent that you currently reek of."

Speechless, I looked at the fan in my hands.

"So, do you want me to beat banana boy up?" Hana asked with a cocky smirk. "Because judging from your reaction, he was the one that caused you to be all…" She waved her hands around, trying to find the right word.

"Pissed," I said, my fingers curling around the fan.

"Not the word I was looking for but-"

"Hana," I said, clutching the fan so hard my hand burned again. "What, what does this smell that I _reek _of smell like? Socks, sweat, and mud? With a side of lettuce?"

She furrowed her brows. "Um, not exactly. Truthfully, I wouldn't say reek. Hm, to put it in words, I would say a mixture of lotus, burnt wood, and tea- Ayae? Ayae!"

"Hey, Ayae!" Gin called. "Where's she going?"

I stopped listening, going from a sprint to a run, disbelieving of the fan in my hands. I needed to go home and double check something. I needed to shuffle through my room and find the billion things scattered around it.

After all, the fan was not the only thing I had gotten from _Shisui _over the past years.


	13. Spring Arc: White in the Fields

I followed the music, twirling six, seven, eight times. At the end of the tempo, I stopped before the mirror and waited. One, two, three, and a hand took mine. I twirled across the floor, swaying with my partner, before my footsteps quickened.

"Be in sync with the music. Let your body become lighter than the air. Let your movements flow smoother than water."

I closed my eyes, and listened to the music.

I thought of Itachi. I thought of the Chuunin Exam, and how his body looked weightless when he flipped down and weaved into a quarter turn. It looked so graceful. It looked so easy. Two years, and he had grown just like me. But while I did this spin again and again, again and again, he had already mastered it.

No.

I thought of his move again. After seeing that, this ballet spin was dead. This spin was boring. It was _ugly_. Itachi did not master this spin; he _perfected_it.

Damn, I hated him.

I spun faster. Really hated him. Ballet was a _girl_thing. Grace and beauty were _girl_things. It was supposed to be _my _thing. I grew up thinking I would catch up to him, only to find myself even more behind. My anger became an final spin and spread of my arms.

The music stopped.

"Let your passion burn hotter than fire," Ms. Hyuuga finished. "Very good performance today, Ayae."

I opened my eyes and blinked. "_Eh_?" Suddenly, the room got dizzy, and I fell back, waving my arms in the air. I crashed into my partner and landed with a _thud_.

While the other girls rushed to help us, Ms. Hyuuga laughed. "And don't forget to let your center be sturdier than earth."

The lesson ended, but I used my last minutes to practice my spin before the mirror. I understood Gin's need to get better. After seeing Itachi, we both needed to work harder.

Ten, eleven, twelve. It did not matter if my toes hurt. I kept my eyes on my body in the mirror. My arms had to be right; my legs had to be right. Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen. This spin was too messy. Tuck in my leg more. Keep my shoulders low. Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen. Too weak, too slow. Nineteen, twenty. I closed my eyes.

I never knew what I had until I lost it. Itachi was a really good teacher. Ms. Hyuuga taught us the moves, and showed us how things should look. But when I could not look like that, only Itachi knew what I did wrong. His words were not pretty, but he told me what I needed to hear. He knew where I was too tense, where I was too sloppy. He could figure out what caused the mistake, and how to fix it. I should have listened to him more.

I bit my lips.

Then I opened my eyes again and kept spinning. If Gin could make two hundred hits, then I could do two hundred spins. After tonight, I would do the triple pirouette and do it well.

After an eternity, I gave in to dizziness and fell onto the floor. The other girls had already left, leaving only the grinning face of Hana. She looked down at me, and held out a water bottle. "I see Gin's not the only one training crazy."

I laughed guilty and took the water. We sat side by side. Before us sat my backpack, and many random things scattered around. "We're still tied," I said, "Gin and I."

"Aye, how many years have you two been at this again?" she asked, picking up the hair band on the floor.

"Three years?"

Hana flicked me on the forehead. "And you still haven't won yet? Ayae, you better come out first. Don't let the girls lose."

"Yeah, I know. You tell me every day."

"You're my last hope. Minoji's just _awful_!" She grimaced.

I giggled and nudged her. "Aw, he's not that bad. You're just too smart. Everyone knows you're the class genius."

Hana scoffed. "Hardly." She sniffed the hair band and set it down. "I just don't _sleep_in class like everyone else. I don't believe in genius either."

"There _are _geniuses. You, Tamaki…" I paused. "Lots of people."

"Your clan, you mean?" she asked, a scarf in hand. "I heard a kid our age won the fall Chuunin Exam. Uchiha... something." She took a sniff of the scarf, and then folded it back up.

"Yeah, my family's famous." I said nothing else, bringing a scroll to my nose to keep busy. "You smell anything in this one?" I asked.

Hana nudged the scroll down. "Ayae, this is ridiculous. You take me all the way down to your dance class and tell me to sniff out human scents without giving me any more information. Am I supposed to track someone?"

"You can do that?"

"Depends on if you'll tell me who it is."

I crossed my arms. "I told you! No one!"

"Right. The mysterious Mister or Missus No One." She tossed the scroll back to me. "Nothing."

From my backpack, she took out a short colored pencil. She brought it to her nose. "Just be lucky I agreed at all. Though, this trip here wasn't bad. I got to see a few moves that will definitely help me in taijutsu."

"Hana! You came here to help me, not to find battle moves and run ahead of everyone again!"

"Yeah, yeah. But I can do both, can't I?" she said, waving my red colored pencil.

I folded my arms.

When I pouted, Hana scratched her neck. "Fine, I also came because I wanted to spent time with my good friend Ayae. This time with you is nice. Hopefully we'll be on the same genin squad too."

At that, I smiled. "Yeah!"

"Anyway, Gin told me the other day," Hana said, "that you two actually _saw_the Chuunin Exam?"

"Oh yeah. I got some tickets and we went. It was fun."

"Huh, so he's not lying. You mind filling me in?" Hana asked. "I want to hear about the matches from a first source instead of through random gossip."

I nodded and told her about the Exam. Gin had bragged to many people in school about it, and I already told my story to many of my friends too. I liked telling stories, and getting the attention. I especially liked making the explosions and the _whoosh _sounds. I also had a bad habit of exaggerating, but this time, I did not have to. In fact, I was worried I could not exaggerate enough.

When I told her about the closet, Hana stared at me.

"What, you don't believe me?" I asked.

"Nah, I do. More so than Ginjiro's story."

"What's his?"

"That he single-handedly took down an eight foot monster."

We laughed. While I wiped a tear away, Hana turned to the earmuffs in her hand and brought it closer. She grimaced. "Agh, what is this disgusting odor?"

Curious, I snatched the earmuffs and sniffed. "What are you talking about? I don't smell anything… just perfume? Hm, it's kinda nice. It's like the one my Old Great-Auntie wears."

Hana made a face again and leaned away from the earmuffs. "You are way off, Ayae. That's not old lady's perfume. That's men's cologne, and it's awful!" Hana growled, waving the air away.

"I still think it smells fine." I said. The muffs were Shisui's birthday present to me. It came with attachable bunny ears, and I thought they were cute.

Hana emptied my backpack and find nothing else. "We're done."

"Great!" I said. "What have you got?"

"So, you're decent body odor wise. I suggest a few washes or showers on things like the summer clothes, because your scent sticks to some of them. I'd put you down for light-medium perspiration, which is better than my snot-nosed brother, who's an ultra-heavy. He's five, and he already stinks worse than our dogs-"

"Hana, that's not what I meant," I said, my eye twitching.

Hana sent me a look. "Ayae, _who _is it? I've grown up with my Ma, and whenever she does this kind of stuff, it's always to hunt someone down. Then again, that's usually to find disappearing lovers and lazy husbands. Actually, mostly to find some Nara guy hiding from my Ma's friend…" She caught herself and shook her head. "Besides the point. I'm not telling you what I've learned until I know what you are using my information for."

She folded her arms, waiting.

I opened my mouth. Then I close it again. "You're wrong," I said lamely.

"I don't think so."

"Because you smell lies-"

"And fear."

"Great. You smell fear now."

"Kidding, kidding. But anyone can tell when you are lying. Your lips curl in, you start stuttering, and you look away. You also stop breathing, which might not be good for your health…" she listed.

I lifted my hands in surrender. "You win Hana. Please stop now."

"Good, will you tell me now?

"I told you, no one," I lied again, trying to look Hana in the eyes and failing.

"Fine." Hana back-flipped herself up and brushed her tank top. "It's not like I care much about your relationship with Uchiha Itachi."

I froze. A burning red spread across my face. "I-I have no idea what you are talking about!"

"Sure, sure."

"My _cousin_? What makes you think he has to do with anything?"

"Instinctive guess."

"You're wrong," I said.

"As a ten year old vet-trainee, I am fairly confident of my observations and judgments. You, on the other hand, as the flustered and would-be victim of the Itachi fanclub, might want to double check yours."

"Hana!"

Hana turned to me with a deadpan. "Look," she said. "I know something's up when you go through the entire Chuunin Exam without once mentioning 'your cousin' by name. Isn't Itachi the winner?"

I dropped my mouth. "You knew! Since the beginning!" She smirked. I could not believe Hana lied to me. "You- he-! Itachi's got nothing to do with me! He- he's just a jerk!"

"Ouch. Tensions, aggressiveness, defensiveness," Hana said. "On second thought, I take that back. Forget the Exam. That Uchiha kid obviously did something to you."

"As if he can!" I said, stubbornly crossing my arms.

"Aye, I'm just here to help. Why obstruct yourself from aid?" Hana asked.

I turned a cheek. "You're using big words."

Hana gave up, and handed me my backpack. "Okay, okay. Truthfully, I can't pick up any distinct smell past the disgusting earmuffs," she said. "Everything smells too much like you. If anyone touched your things, it was not recently."

"Oh." I slumped my shoulders. As I headed for the changing room, I grew curious of something. "Hey Hana, what do I smell like?"

"You sure you want to know?"

"Yeah!"

"Hm, you know when you go into a candy store?"

"Mhm?" I liked where this was going.

"And there's that red bean paste that's baked into the daifuku?"

"Yeah?"

"You basically smell like mashed beans to me."

My eye twitched. "I smell like _mashed beans_?"

"_Boiled _smashed beans," she corrected. "Which is better than Minoji, who needs a shower sometime within this lifetime." She pinched her nose, and I held back snickers.

I changed and Hana undid my braids for me. Then we waved bye to Ms. Hyuuga and set our own ways home.

The things in my backpack grew heavy, so I picked up my pace. Before I knew it, the district was in sight.

I waved to the guards.

When I reached a fork in the road, I paused, looking down the path to the main house. In the end, I shook my head and went to my own home.

"Daddy, I'm home! You here?" I yelled. I slipped off my sandals and heard a call from the kitchen.

"In here!"

I thought my dad would be at a meeting today, but after seeing the stack of paperwork on the table, I guessed it ended early.

And that only meant one thing.

Sugar!

My backpack fell down onto the floor.

I licked my lips at the thought of dessert. Dad always went to the bakery when he had extra time. My socks skidded across the wooden boards, as I swung around to the kitchen, looking forward to a strawberry cheesecake or apple pie.

"I call first piece!" I called dibs. My dad was at the counter, slicing into a cake with peaches on top. "What is it this-"

I looked at the table. Or rather, at the person by the table. I blinked, in case my mind was playing a trick on me, but Itachi did not go away.

Three…

Two…

One…

Yeah, I was not going crazy just yet.

Itachi was sitting in a proper kneel. I thought maybe there was some guilt across his face, before he turned away and watched my dad.

My dad carried the cake to the table. "Hey, sweetie! Guess who's here!"

"What's he doing here?" I asked my dad.

After placing the cake down, my dad nudged up his lopsided glasses and said, "Well, we were just discussing how your Auntie Mikoto and little Sasuke were doing at Miyako. We haven't seen them in forever, have we honey?"

Speechless, I gave a nod and sat by my dad.

"Yup, it's been lonely without them, but it's great to know they're both having a great time on their vacation. I've heard the Katsura river's beautiful! Right, Itachi?" my dad said, handing him a slice of cake.

Out of politeness, Itachi accepted the plate, but he did not pick up the chopsticks to eat. "Mother said it glowed at nighttime," he said. "Fireflies."

"So it _is _like how the books describe it!" my dad said enthusiastically. "Yamamoto's writings on the Katsura were all over the capital, and it became one of the hottest attractions for the past decade!"

Itachi looked like he was going to correct my dad, but stopped himself. "Yes," he said. "It's been more popular in recent times."

I felt out of the loop. "What's going on?"

This time, I asked Itachi. Why was he at my house? Fireflies and books were great and all, but Itachi was not the type to chitchat with my _dad_. And it was not as if he would talk to _me _after-

It hit me.

My heart raced, and I thought back the tea shop. Did I really damage his katana? Or was I in trouble for the smashed plates at the café? Was he here to tell my dad about it? I freaked out. My dad was mulling over some book, a sign that Itachi had not spilled the beans yet.

I whipped back to Itachi and gave him my silent plead. I was wrong. I was mean. I was stupid. I ruined his katana, embarrassed both of us in front of people, and then stomped out. I was sorry, so sorry.

But if he wanted revenge, he did not need to drag the adults into this! It was the basic _no-telling _rule. One kid went to the other kid and made the 'give me your crayon and I'll forget that you spilled food on my homework' type of deals.

While my dad blabbered on, I was on the edge. When it was Itachi's turn to speak, I hoped that he would say it nicely. Something like, "By the way, Ayae dented my katana the other day," instead of "Actually, I'm just here to tell you that your daughter's crazy, and I want the money for the katana she broke."

However, he went on about the same dull topic. "The inn has an extra room, and my mother insisted since our last visit. It would make her happy if you choose to stay during this travel. I know it's sudden and inconvenient, and I apologize for not informing you until now," he said.

My shoulders relaxed. Maybe this was some business talk for adults after all. I wanted to laugh at myself for getting all tensed up. Right. This was Itachi. He was too mature to want revenge.

"I love the idea!" my dad said. Then he dragged me into their conversation. "But are you okay with that, honey? I'd have to admit, it took me by surprise too, but I think it's a wonderful idea!"

That took both Itachi and me by surprise. Him, because he did not expected my dad to ask me how I felt about it. Me, because I was not listening.

"Wait, what?" I asked.

Itachi recovered first. "Mr. Kenta, if Ayae doesn't want to go, it is understandable," he said, his gaze catching mine.

We locked eyes. Everyone was waiting. I had no idea what was going on, so I just said, "Sure dad." I reached for a slice of cake to keep from fidgeting.

"Great!" my dad said. "My little Ayae missed seeing you and your family around, Itachi. I can take my work off my table for a while. It'd be great to spend time with each other for vacation."

My chopsticks dropped from my mouth. They stayed dropped as my dad went into the details of the spring trip.

If Itachi could have been more exasperated, it was then. Apparently, he did not like the idea of my dad and I traveling alongside him, his dad, and some clan members any more than I did. For over a week. Living under one roof. With a big portion of the Uchiha clan. And meeting some of our other relatives across the country. For _vacation_.

Oh, and while my dad and his dad tried to form some kind of understanding of each other, which was not _scary at all_, as ordered by the clan elder, I was supposed to follow Itachi the entire trip to bond. Tell me this was not some drunken, half thought out plan.

And while Itachi spent the rest of the conversation pretending I was not there, I shamelessly stared at him, thinking my clan had gone nuts to try to make our families buddy-buddy.

But Aunt Mikoto refused to return to Konoha until that impossible mission was done. Fugaku really wanted his wife back. The clan was getting annoyed at these stupid conflicts. Itachi had no say. My dad wanted a break from work.

And I was an _idiot _who said yes without thinking.

.

Fall turned to winter, and winter was turning to spring. Itachi was back in my life, but I had not tried to talk to him once. The months following our meeting, I only focused on school and dance. The vacation date came closer, though. I knew I would have to face Itachi sooner or later.

And I would go and face him. My dad really wanted the vacation, and I would not ruin it for him. I had already gotten Ms. Hyuuga's okay to leave. Now, I just had to talk to Teacher Funeno about school. With our final exams coming, he wanted to make sure I got the materials.

I woke up to the sun, and I stared up at the sky through the hole in my roof. My feet were itchy. I scratched the heels of my feet, then pulled the covers off me and trudged to my bathroom to brush my teeth and work my afro hair.

When I got downstairs, I grabbed a banana off the kitchen table. "Morning," I said to my dad, who was flipping a pancake.

"Morning sweetie! How'd you sleep?"

"Good," I replied, peeling the banana.

Just as I took a bite, my dad saw me and cried, "The banana! Honey, that was for the pancakes!"

"Oops."

I gave him the bitten banana, but he chuckled and shook his head. I was about to get another banana from the fridge when I heard the doorbell ring.

"Get that?" my dad asked.

"Hold on."

Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!

_Someone _was impatient. I found the bananas and set them on the table, before heading to our front door.

Ding-dong!Ding-dong!Ding-dong!Din-

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" I yelled.

I reached the door by the tenth ding-dong.

"Why isn't anyone opening this door- Oh hi!"

I opened the door and was greeted by people I did not expect to see on a Saturday morning.

My classmates.

Four of them. Their faces were not very familiar, but I knew them nonetheless. The first was a girl a year above me. She had bushy hair. If I was not wrong, she left the ninja division last year. The second and third were seniors. They were pretty, both with long blonde hair and tall figures.

And the final one in front was...

Blue Hair.

My eye twitched. I remembered the times I got food _accidentally_dumped on my favorite shirt, or was _accidentally_bumped in the hallways, or had my stuff _accidentally_stepped on by her. So many _accidents _that I was happy to return the _accidents_a few times.

Seeing her was like having a dead cat slammed into my face.

Blue Hair dropped her smile when she saw me. She scowled. I did the same, but the banana in my hand killed my intimidation.

One of the seniors looked at me up and down, whispering to the other senior. "Who'd you think she is?"

"Relax, she might just be that Uchiha girl that lives here," the other senior whispered back.

They mumbled some more, much to my annoyance. But they were okay compared to Blue Hair. Scoffing, she said, "So _this _is where you live."

"Yeah," I said.

"Psh, I knew that _you_'d be the one to live in this _shack _in the corner of the compound. What an _embarrassment _for the Uchiha."

"_What did you say?_"

Ignoring me, Blue Hair snapped her fingers at the other three. "Wrong house. Let's leave this _loser_alone."

I was ready to snap, but the bushy haired girl spoke up. "Shouldn't we at least ask her?"

"It'd be a waste of time," Blue Hair sneered. "None of the _real_Uchiha knows, let alone her."

One of the seniors frowned. "Hm, it seems you know her," she said. "Same class?"

I snorted. "Nope," I said, and then bit into my banana. If we were, the school would be burning. "Just same grade. So what do you guys want?" I asked, not understanding what these people were doing on my front step.

One of the seniors grinned and laced her hands together. "We want Itachi, of course!" she declared, causing the other senior to laugh, Bushy to go red, Blue Hair to roll her eyes, and me to choke on my banana.

"S-she m-means we want to know where he is," Bushy stammered. "To give him a present as congratulations for winning the Chuunin Exam for Konoha."

I stared. They came all the way _here_for _that_? I sighed and said, "His house, that way," jerking my thumb to the right.

Blue Hair crossed her arms. "We _know _where the _main _house is, stupid branch girl," she scoffed.

"We went there, but Itachi isn't home," one of the seniors sighed. "We've asked every house in the compound too."

"Then why not drop it off at the gate," I said. "The guards will take it to him."

"We want to give it to him in person," the other senior said.

"What's the present? I don't even see it," I said, biting into my banana again. Unless it was an imaginary pet animal, I was not convinced they were here on some innocent present delivery. Knowing Blue Hair, she could be having her friends plant skunk bombs in my house right now. She would go that far to make my life miserable.

At my question, the seniors giggled to each other. "How cute, the little girl thinks we came with a box wrapped in a bow!"

I stopped chewing and raised an eyebrow, wondering what those words meant and why they gave me chills up my spine. However, before I could ask them what they really wanted with my cousin, Blue Hair said, "It's because _stupid _people can't see anything! And your questions are also _stupid_. Like you have guts to ask us in the first place! How Itachi could stand to live a hundred miles near someone as _stupid _as you, I don't know."

"Say that again," I dared.

Pulling down her lower eyelid, she stuck out her tongue. "You heard me, _stupid-_girl!"

That was it. "WHY YOU-"

I was about to rip Blue Hair's face out and whack her senseless with my banana peel. But a new voice stopped me.

"Am I interrupting?"

All of us turned to the newcomer. Itachi stepped closer to my house, his eyes flickering to each of the girls before looking at me. He held out a piece of paper. "Ayae, will you please give this to your father? It's a letter from my mother about the arrangements at the inn. I hope he finds them satisfying."

Dumbfounded, I took the piece of paper from him.

The girls looked at him, then me, then back to him again, their expressions a colorful spectrum of shocked to suspicious to disbelieving. I felt awkward.

"Um, okay," I said, not sure what else to add.

Itachi examined me. "Is something wrong? Did you change your mind?"

I stared at him. He was playing dumb. _I just knew it_. "T-the trip? No. My dad's really into it."

Itachi almost looked disappointed. "But you?"

"I'm okay," I lied, shrugging.

"Isn't there school to be concerned with?" he asked. "I assume finals are approaching."

I glanced at the girls to see they were too bewitched by Itachi's presence, and said, "Um, yeah, I'm going today to get some materials from my teacher. Listen…-"

"Do you want me to accompany you?" Itachi asked. I gawked at him in disbelief, when he continued, "I am released from my missions for the morning, and I might be of some assistance."

My brain was in an information backup. Itachi was _free_? Not busy? What? He wanted to come with me to school? He wanted to help? _What_?!

Seeing my reluctance, Itachi was about to resign and leave.

The girls jumped at my hesitation.

Blue Hair recovered. Smiling, she tapped Itachi on the shoulder. "Morning, Itachi!" she greeted in a giddy voice that made me want to throw up. Her smile splitting her face in half, she leaned forward to him and said, "Congratulations on getting chuuninship!"

Itachi stared blankly at Blue Hair. He nodded once and murmured a thank you.

That was when the seniors leaned in and surrounded him. "Say, Itachi, if you are free, we'd be glad to keep you company!" one offered, giggling.

Bushy said, "W-won't you come with us? Ano, we brought a present for y-you, it's at the front... The others are watching after it a-and we went here but you weren't here a-and-"

The other senior shoved Bushy away and leaned closer to Itachi, her eyes wide and her lips curled. "Wow! The rumors were right. You've really have gotten cute!" she said. "Remember me? Nah, probably not! But we remember you though. 3rd year! Anyways, as school reps, we want to show the Academy's thanks for your success in winning the Exam for Konoha and continuing our streak! Won't you come with us?"

Itachi looked he was to say something, but something made him pause and change his mind. Instead he said, "I-"

"Will be coming with _me _to the Academy to help me carry some scrolls," I said, grabbing Itachi away, fighting the urge to pull him all the way inside my house and slam the door shut. "Err, yeah, Itachi, I need help. You know, really heavy. And finals, lots of history and people and math. Yeah, lots of math… hard stuff. No more coloring and everything, you know…"

"Ayae-" Itachi began.

"Hey, you asked! So, you coming or not?!" I hotly snapped, holding up the banana peel.

Itachi was surprised. But then his lips pulled into a smile and he nodded. "I guess I am."

"What?! But Itachi," Blue Hair said, pulling him back to her. "We only need a minute or two! _She _can get someone else to go with her!"

Itachi brought his hand up to hers and gently pulled her grip off his shoulder. "Actually, the Academy already congratulated my success," he said. "And a couple of times."

"Huh?"

"If my memory is correct, two baskets of desserts, five bouquet of flowers, eight boxes of chocolates, forty-two cards, and one book have been sent to me from the Academy for my success at the Chuunin Exam."

Our jaws were dangling, but he went on.

"Perhaps there has been some miscommunication, resulting in these numerous gifts? While I am quite grateful, I'm not sure I am deserving of them all. If you insist, leave it with the guards at the gates, but I'm afraid I will not be able to go. Thank you for the thought though," he said sincerely.

I got the dirtiest look from Blue Hair. I smirked back.

The other girls were not bothered. "Aw, Itachi _should_help his little cousin, ne? We'll tell the other girls to drop it off." The seniors gave him double hug, before waving bye. Bushy stared at Itachi some more before rushing to catch up with the seniors, and Blue Hair sent me another death glare.

"Nyaah! So cute, I just want to keep him…"

The two seniors giggled to each other, latching onto each other's arms and whispering some more until they actually _were _out of earshot.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Forty-two cards. _Really_?" I asked.

"Shisui received double the amount. He was much more popular with his peers at the Academy than I was."

I rolled my eyes. While he waited for me outside, I ran into the kitchen, and grabbed two hot pancakes just as my dad set the plate on the table.

"Who was at the door, sweetie?" he asked, scraping the pan by the sink.

I played hot potato with the cakes. "Just some classmates. And Itachi's here. I'm heading off to school. Bye dad!"

Before my dad could get a word in, I was back by the door, tossing the pancakes to Itachi and grabbing my sandals.

As we walked out of the district, I folded one of my pancakes, took a bite, and handed him the other one. "Did you eat breakfast yet?" I asked.

"Yes."

I nudged the cake closer to him. "Try it anyway," I said, chewing my pancake. "It's good. You can't buy this anywhere in Konoha, you know."

He accepted. "Thank you."

"Welcome."

I ate my pancake, and so did he.

It was a nice déjà vu. The same boiling hot sun. The same deep blue sky. The same crowded streets, with shoppers, bikers, tourists, and kids running around. The same wind, cobblestone and dirt roads, houses and stores, telephone poles and magazine rack with the fat cat sleeping in the shades.

Walking with the same person.

I missed this moment so much, and it felt like I had the old Itachi back again.

Not the prodigy. Not the ninja. Not the Chuunin Exam winner. Not the avoiding cousin.

Just Itachi. The friend.

Everything around me suddenly seemed so big, endless, and _free_. I wanted to run and keep running. I felt like laughing and dancing because I felt whole again.

I never knew Itachi could make me feel this way, but I understood now why I wanted him back so badly. With him back, the world felt completed, no longer having a big hole in the picture.

It was almost too good to be true, but with every footstep that followed mine, I knew he was there.

"Why are your eyes closed?"

"Just because," I said, smiling.

"You might trip."

"You won't let me."

I listened as his footsteps stop, and I stopped too. But the world did not stop, as I felt someone nearly bump into me. "Sorry!" said the voice of a young man, as he dashed away, late for something.

My smile got wider, my eyes still closed. "Told you!" I laughed, and walked again when Itachi did. I picked up the pace and skipped ahead, twirling with my arms wide. I dared to go out further, feeling the sun and the wind that bounced with me in glee.

"Today's just too good of a day! Besides, I've walked down this road for so long, I won't trip-"

Out of dizziness, I stumbled on my own foot and crashed down.

My eyes snapped wide open to see Itachi next to me, catching my fall. "You were saying?" he said.

I scratched my head in embarrassment. "Well, I was still right."

"I did not prevent you from tripping or falling. I just caught you," he said, as if that made any difference. As long as I did not land on my butt in the dirt, it was all the same.

The orphanage was already in sight. The road was shorter than I would have liked.

"So, why are you here?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, you're usually not around," I said, and saw a sad smile on his face.

"I was busy." His eyes turned to the road.

"With what?"

"Missions."

"What kind?"

"They vary."

He was being vague, but I pushed. "Why aren't you busy now?"

"Do you know how the mission system works?" he asked instead.

I did not like the shift in topic, but I went along with it. "They taught us at school," I said. "People come and pay us to help them do ninja stuff. When we're done, we get the money based off how hard it was to do it."

"And of the Chuunin Exam?"

"How genin become chuunin." Duh. "And a way for all the villages to get along." How beating the shit out of each other was going to do that, I had no idea, but that was what all the textbooks said.

"Right, though the Chuunin Exam has another purpose: for each of the shinobi villages to attract clients. For example, a wealthy nobleman in need of protection may watch the Exams to see which village offers the best ninja for a bodyguard," he said, "or a mother searching for a lost son may look to find the right place to hire a tracker-nin."

"Oh, okay," I said, understanding. "So that's why Konoha's been filled with so many people lately. Since you won the Exam, and Konoha's first, people would want us."

"Correct. Still, other villages have specialties that no other village has. Kusa has elite sensors. Iwa has the best defense. Suna is the most innovative. Cloud the fastest, Kiri the strongest, Sound the most cunning, and so on."

"What do we have? Konoha's the... bravest? Powerfulest? Bestest?"

Itachi held back a chuckle. "Ah, no. Konoha could perhaps be considered the most versatile. We are capable of handling a wide range of missions, adapting to most situations. That was the skill our village was supposed to have demonstrated at the Exam."

"Wait." I furrowed my eyebrows. "Itachi, if you did _amazing _at the Exam, shouldn't you have _more _clients and be _busier_?"

"You're right. After the examination, I received more attention than I had intended," he said. "People asked specifically for me as well, and I had the next six months of missions planned out for me within a week. But multiple clients were arguing for certain times that coincided with other's, and my files were shuffled back and forth until an argument between two lords destroyed the papers altogether…"

I gawked at him. "The Daimyo were _fighting _over the days they could book you?!"

The chuckle left him this time. "I should have heeded our cousin's warning. The Hokage ended up dismissing me, and I was left with nothing except for one escort later this afternoon. Does that answer your question?"

It answered one, but twenty more questions came to mind. I settled with, "Wait, so there are no plans?"

"For now."

"You have nothing to do?"

He paused, thinking over my words. "There are people to meet. A life to reconstruct. Some bonds to repair. I doubt I'll ever have "nothing" for a long time. Shall we go in?" he asked, holding the door to the Academy for me.

I had not realized we were there. "Yeah."

The school was emptier than usual, though there still were some people in clubs or extra training sessions. Besides certain training fields, the school was open to anyone. Even genin use our gym for their practices.

A few boys were carrying a cardboard box into the game room. I recognized one of them as Gin's friend. We waved.

Itachi and I passed the girls in the origami club, and the upperclassmen in the cram-study club. The gym was filled with people sparring in kendo.

"Um, I think Teacher Funeno's in that room," I said, pointing to a classroom down the hall. "Let's go."

Itachi followed.

I tiptoed to look in the window pane before creaking open the door.

"Welcome to the team, Umino!" someone declared, followed by ten more cheers.

"Oho, I knew you would make it! I knew it!" I heard my teacher say and pat someone on the back.

"Congrats," said Teacher Suzume. "We were betting on how long before you came back here. Knew you wouldn't last."

"Teacher!" a familiar voice exclaimed, offended.

"Don't call me that anymore, Umino," she chuckled. "Don't call any of us that now."

"I still won the bet though. Couldn't stay away from this place for more than a few years, now could you! First you volunteered, then subbed, but it's great to have you here for real," Teacher Funeno laughed. "Pay up, guys!"

Half the teachers and staff crowded around a round table, everyone from my senile second grade teacher to the advanced division's seventh grade teacher. Cups of sake were in hands, and food scattered all around.

Then, there was someone in the middle who I did not know, a teenager with spiky brown hair. He was dressed in common ninja wear, a headband on his forehead, but what caught my attention was the long scar across his face. I knew it was rude to stare, but I could not help myself. It was not until a teacher noticed me that I looked away.

"Is there something the matter, little girl?" the teacher asked me. The other teachers turned to me too.

"Um, Teacher Funeno? You told me to come here today? To get some stuff for finals?" I asked.

"Ah, I almost forgot!" My teacher placed his cup down. "You guys go ahead without me! One of my students needs help."

I made eye contact with the teenager, but he scratched his nose and laughed nervously. That was when I realized he was the one who bumped into me on my way here.

Teacher Funeno nudged me out of the room and slid the door behind him. "Now, Ayae, let's get those- Itachi, my boy, what a pleasant surprise!"

"Good morning, Teacher Funeno," Itachi said, bowing.

"Wow, and you still remember me!"

"I can say the same."

"How can I forget one of my star pupils? And one who won first place in the Chuunin Exams at that!" Funeno exclaimed. Then, a hand by his mouth, he gave a furtive glance and whispered, "Just between us, we teachers have a little betting agreement, just to see who's best at their job. Every time one of our former pupils succeeds, the others pay up. Gives us a little extra incentive to help you little ninjas all we can, but _you_, my boy, are every teacher's dream. All your cousins included."

Itachi smirked. "But isn't it true that every Uchiha has been enrolled in your class at least once?"

Teacher Funeno laughed. "I'm a lucky man, and my students are my gold! Aim high, boy, and come to me if you ever need anything!" Then turning to me, he said, "As for you, let's get those study materials. Get a hundred percent!"

I nodded and followed him to his classroom. Funeno unlocked the door and sorted through his desk for review sheets. Within a minute, I had a stack, causing me to drop my jaw.

Yeah. I was not getting a hundred percent.

"Know the names and dates of the First Great Ninja War, as well as the important figures," Teacher Funeno said, handing me sheet after sheet. "Our current history text should cover all of them. For mathematics, only the fractions will be covered and word problems related to battle strategy. There is a small section on literature, the interpretation of the writings of the third daimyo, which we did earlier in year. In ninjutsu, the kawarimi will be covered, mostly on basic facts, and you are not expected to perform it. Instead, the performance will be on your ability to memorize the hand signs. In taijutsu, we will be scoring on your track speed, followed by rope balance, and shuriken accuracy…"

The stuff kept piling higher, and I was straining lift it all. Itachi took one of the papers on top and read it out of curiosity.

"What, no genjutsu?" I asked sarcastically.

"Aha! Eager now, aren't we? Yes, I almost forgot, everything in our genjutsu lecture for the past month." Why did I open my big mouth? "Since we'll be reviewing during the time you are gone, you might want to take one of the class genjutsu scrolls to study from. Now, where are those…"

"White seasoned the fields, stillness of the lake, frozen, a lovers' boat hushed..." Itachi looked up from the paper he was reading. "There's an error," he told Teacher Funeno. "It says the second passage, but this is the third passage of the eighth book. The second of eighth speaks of spring."

My teacher found the scroll he was looking for, and to Itachi, said, "Ah, you studied the traditional verse, where everything is reversed, correct? In order to understand it better, we go chronologically by the seasons in the story, not by the original way the daimyo wrote it. Oh, this scroll on our first kata might be helpful too."

"It was a reflection. It was on purpose," Itachi said, giving me back my paper.

I freed one hand and grabbed it from him, reading the poem. I faintly remembered the poem as one of the more boring lectures. My class spent three days talking about a dead guy's fascination with nature. By the end of the lecture, half the class was asleep. Including me.

"The rest of the structure is the same," Teacher Funeno reassured.

"It's different," Itachi insisted.

"Not a single word changed, my boy."

"Nothing except the meaning. His intention was to convey…"

"A tragedy? Evoke nostalgia from his audience? Let the world understand his pain from his words?" Teacher Funeno chuckled. "There is a difference between the poet's interpretation and his audience's. His art lives in its own form, and every eye can view it differently. And call us fools, but we prefer the story ending with the joys of summer than the melancholy of autumn."

Itachi had nothing to say to that. I just winced at the extra weight piled on the stack I was carrying.

"Then again, it could be that we didn't want student thinking summer came before spring, and get their seasons mixed up!"

This caused Itachi to drop an eyebrow, my teacher to laugh again, and I to collapse.

Once I got all the stuff I needed, we were shooed out, with my teacher warning me to prepare seriously. I did not need to be told twice. Fifth grade was the first bar the ninja division needed to jump over to continue to sixth grade. The second bar exam was at the end of sixth, to prepare us for the final one at the end of senior year.

"Itachi, how did you do survive this?" I sighed, letting him relieve me of all the paper in my hands.

"Are you nervous about your bar examination?" he asked, carrying the stack with ease. I dropped my dead arms. I could not believe I thought I could bring all those papers home by myself.

"Maybe," I mumbled, rubbing my neck. "What's it like?"

"Memorization is only half of the exam. It is more to test your willingness to work than to see your competency as a ninja. Next year, it will be one-fourth, and the following, only one-eighth will be the written exam. Meanwhile, your actual skills and abilities are weighed more with each passing grade."

"Because I don't really need to know this junk after I graduate right? No more math?"

"There was math on the Chuunin Exam," he told me, causing me to moan.

"Are you serious?!"

"It's not going to go away, Ayae," Itachi said.

"It will if I can get my dad to invent something that does it for me," I muttered under my breath.

"A contraption that will magically give you the answers in math?" he asked, the corner of his lips twitching.

"My dad can make anything!" I snapped. Then, pouting, I said, "Okay, maybe not that. But he can make _almost _anything."

"Ah."

I did not like his tone. I huffed, and crossing my arms, said, "Well, sorry if none of this stuff is exciting enough for you." He and his lousy fireballs and water dragons.

"Actually, I learned plenty from this trip alone…-" He stopped. I stopped too, turning to him to see why.

Itachi's eyes flickered over to somewhere in the distance, and I matched his gaze to see nothing more than rooftops.

"What's up-?"

He shook his head and placed the stack of papers on the ground. "I'm sorry, but it appears my escort mission will be earlier than I thought. Someone is waiting for me." Next thing, I knew, he was making hand seals. The pile of stuff disappeared. "You'll find the materials at your house."

"Wasn't it this afternoon, though? That's still hours away, and you should get lunch first or something." I did not hide my disappointment.

"I'm afraid not," he said. "And Ayae."

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry. For everything."

Before I could say anything, he was gone with a wisp of air. That was expected, but I did not expect that the big gaping hole in my world did not come back.

That was a good sign.

I smiled.


	14. Princess Arc: My Little Sister

My room was in shambles.

Okay, understatement. My room looked like it was ripped to bits by a tornado, then burned by wildfire then put out with a bone-soaking hurricane, only to be stomped on by a herd of mad cows.

I yanked my bed covers off and looked under the mattress. Out of frustration, I threw the sheets on the floor.

"Utako! _You _know where my brush went?" I asked my battered doll by the headboard.

I waited until the last minute to pack. On my floor was a giant pile. Three dresses, three pairs of pants, three shirts, a jacket, a toothbrush, a flashlight, face washcloth, sunhat, book, homework. And finally, Utako. My dad got our futon, carrying the big stuff out to the gate. He made trips all morning, and warned me to not leave anything important behind.

Giving up on the brush, I ran for my backpack. When I emptied my backpack, a summoning scroll popped out.

An idea came to mind. I brushed my hand on the seal, cringing in case it exploded again. When it did not, I brushed the heavy smoke away.

Books and other school stuff were scattered around my scroll. I unrolled more of the parchment and saw there was still room. I took off my hair clip and put it on the scroll. I tapped the edge and the scroll rolled up.

There was a lump in the scroll. I frowned and shook the scroll. My hair clip fell out. Guess my idea did not work after all.

I sighed. Teacher Funeno said we needed chakra to link anything to summoning scrolls. Too bad he did not teach us how. Only Hana learned summoning under her parents. She only got it one out of thirty times, and that was with her mom helping.

There were clacking footsteps on my roof. Shisui jumped into the hole and landed on my carpet.

"Squirt! You ready for- _man_! When was the earthquake?" he whistled.

I grabbed a dress and stuffed it in my backpack. "Hey, help me pack?"

"You still haven't finished packing yet? The trip's now!"

"Oh shut up, and gimme that flashlight." He did, and I jammed that in my backpack too.

Shisui tossed me more stuff. "That everything?"

I pounded my fist into the bag. "Yeah, think so. Utako's coming along, so get her too?"

"Towel?" he asked, grabbing my doll.

"Yup."

"Toothbrush?"

"Yeah."

"Brush?"

"Mhm."

"Underwear?"

"Yea-" I stopped. "Uh, be right back." I ignored Shisui's laugh. From my dresser, I grabbed a handful of underwear and shoved it into my backpack.

_Still _laughing, Shisui wiped a tear and said, "Can't believe you forgot that. Actually, you know, didn't you borrow clothes from Itachi before? I bet he'll lend you h-"

My backpack smacked his head.

By the time I finished, we were late. My dad pushed us out of the house, shouting "Hurry, hurry!"

We ran. I had Utako in my arms and my backpack, Shisui had my homework, and my dad had his humongous packs of luggage. It was his fourth trip. I wondered if my dad took everything besides the furniture.

At the gate, my dad and I fell to the ground. A few of my relatives shook their heads, and the nice ones carried our stuff to foot of the wagon, where all the families dropped off their baggage. In front were two large oxen, and in the wagons were big scrolls.

Most of my relatives had only a military backpack. Some were arm and guarded, like they were still on duty. Others did not bring anything at all.

"Shisui, where's Itachi?" I asked.

"Escort, squirt. He's probably running late," he said, before he was called by one of my uncles.

Meanwhile, my dad had gone to help stack the scrolls on the wagon. When he saw Shisui's dad struggle with a bottle of sealing powder, he dropped the scroll to help. This caused the guy lifting the other end of the scroll to collapse, and when my dad bent down to get the scroll off him, he bumped into Shisui's dad.

The three men were covered head to toe in powder. The scroll guy shouted curses, while Shisui's dad constrained him. My dad scratched his head and laughed, offering the half-full bottle of powder. Finally, Itachi's dad appeared, and growling, snatched the bottle away.

The scroll guy snapped his mouth shut and excused himself away. He picked up the scroll again, and my dad scrambled to help. However, Itachi's dad stopped my dad from getting anywhere near the scroll. Instead, he pointed sharply in the direction of the gate. My dad nudged up his glasses and blinked, before giving a cheery smile and patting him on the shoulder.

Whatever my dad said made the scroll guy choke, Shisui's dad hold back a snicker, and Itachi's dad give a deadly aura that made everyone tense. Except my dad, who had heaved his end of the scroll up again, whistling.

Shisui's dad grabbed the bottle from Itachi's dad before it broke, and lighthearted asked him to follow. After dropping the powder to Shisui, who was now in charge of sealing, they went to secure the reins.

I decided to help around too. But before I could, there was music.

From the Konoha main road were trumpets, violins, and glamor. The royal Fire family approached, entertainers and ninjas in front. Giggling girls, in their beautiful kimonos, were latching onto the Konoha shinobi. Meanwhile, the shinobi were talking away, mostly bragging. The only serious people were the carriers and the masked shinobi by the train of carriages.

Powder fell on me. I saw my dad by my side. The other guy was now roping the scrolls.

"Hey, sweetie, isn't that the Fire Daimyo's carriage?" asked my dad, pointing.

"Yeah. They were there during the Chuunin Exam," I said.

"Wow! Are they leaving Konoha too?"

The road only led to our gate, so I nodded. "Guess so daddy."

When the group was close enough to my relatives, the shinobi went into proper stance. But the girls beamed and stepped up. They did a dance, and ended with an extension their arm. "Greetings from the Fire Daimyo," they sang in unison.

While my older relatives were not impressed, the younger ones were. Heads popped up, as my cousins and uncles peeked up from their jobs to look at the pretty girls. Shisui did not even give a second look. I was surprised, since he was crazy for Kurenai. Then again, maybe that was the reason.

From the wagon, there was noise. The guy earlier was buried under a stack of toppled scrolls. He called out for help, and my dad jumped to the rescue. "Ooh, be right there!"

The guy waved his hands. "No, I take that back, it's alright, just stay away from me!" But my dad was already halfway there.

My dad tried to pry the guy free, pulling on his arm. The guy cursed again. "You crazy man, stop trying to dislocated my arm-!"

"Don't move okay? I'll get you out in a jiffy-!"

"_NOT BY RIPPING MY ARM OUT-!_"

Their struggling stopped when a cane tapped the ground.

The royal carriage stopped in front of the Uchiha clan elder. The carriers set the carriage down, and the masked guards stepped aside. The Daimyo withdrew the veil.

"Mr. Uchiha, this is really fortunate!"

"My Lord," the clan leader said, bowing, and all of my relatives knelt down.

"Yes, the fates are definitely on our side. Ah, these numbers are nice! May I ask what the occasion is?"

"We are leaving for Miyako. Due to the fact we are traveling the same road for the same distance, it would be our honor to escort you."

"The Hokage told me of this plan! We travel together, before splitting one half of the way, correct?"

"Yes, but our best would accompany you all the way through till the capitol."

"I agree completely! Ah, bless the sky gods for this lucky coincidence."

"No, the luck is ours, my Lord. If not, our clan would have never been able to leave. We are all grateful."

While they went on to talk politics, I heard a giggle from another royal carriage. "Thank you so much for accompanying me throughout Konoha!"

I dropped my jaw when Itachi jumped down and bowed to the princess. "It is my honor."

The princess lifted the veil to her carriage. Her hair was beautiful, with flowers, beads, and strands of red thread. Her lips were a coral pink, and her cheeks as rosy as ever.

... Lipstick.

Lips.

Kiss.

My eye twitched. Did I say beautiful? I meant to say she looked stupid. All that makeup made her look like a clown.

"No, I mean it," the princess said. "I love this place, but my bodyguards always scared people away, and it is not nearly as fun. I am so, so happy you became chuunin, and my father finally trusted you to take me around like you used to. Maybe we can even go outside the palace now the next time you come."

"Ah."

She sighed and flapped open her fan. "We cannot go out onto the streets till you are jounin though. I do not know if I can even wait that long."

"There will be other guards," Itachi said.

"Old, with their nasty armor scaring off the few friends I have? No, I like you, Itachi," she giggled, leaning down and kissing him on the cheek. _Again_.

My fingers twitched, and I felt a vein bulging on my forehead. I counted down the seconds. One... two... three... Okay, a peck did not last that long! I stomped over.

When the princess broke away, she smiled wider and whispered in his ear, "There will be another inauguration soon. I am going to convince my father to hire you again-"

"Hey," I growled, tapping on Itachi's shoulder and snapping both of them out of whatever world they were in. The princess looked up.

"Excuse me, who are you?"

"Uchiha Ayae," I said.

The princess raised an eyebrow. After scanning me up and down, she turned to Itachi. "Do you know her?"

"Yes," Itachi said.

"What is your relation to her?"

"Cousin," he said.

"How long have you two known each other?"

"Approximately three years."

"Date of birth."

"First of August."

"Age?"

"Ten."

I stared at both of them like they were crazy. What was this! I was _right there_! She was asking about me, when I was _right there_! I shoved Itachi aside. "Hey, I'm right here you know!"

"What is your point?" she asked.

"I- Well, if you want to know about me, then you ask ME about it, not him!" I said. "It's rude!"

She was not upset. "If you insist, then I will ask you. What is your favorite color?"

"Err, yellow, but that's not what-"

"Favorite hobby?"

"Dancing. Whatever, I'm saying-"

"Favorite food?"

"Ice cream. _Listen_-"

"Favorite animal?"

My eye twitched. "Cat."

"I like you," the princess said, smiling. "Dance for me!"

"What?"

She clapped her hands together. "Did you not say dancing is your favorite hobby? Then dance for me!"

I looked at her, disbelieving. "Now?! I'm not going to dance for you _now_!"

She held her smile. "Yes you are. You are now my little sister. Itachi, inform my father that I would like to add this girl to my carriage."

Itachi glanced at me. "If that is what you wish," he said, then disappeared.

After Itachi left, the princess beckoned for me to join her in the carriage. "Let us talk, little sister."

"Since when am I your-"

She leaned forward. "Since I said so. I want a Konoha friend, and now I have one. Itachi's little cousin is even better."

"What?"

"You know Itachi, correct?" she said, fanning herself. "So, be a good sister and talk. Beginning with the girls he is involved in at Konoha."

I left my mouth hanging.

.

I sat beside the princess on a royal carriage. The horses were beautiful. The seats were soft and silky. The curtains were drawn up, with only a layer of veil, so we could still see the outside scenery. There were hardly any bumps or shifts, even though we were going faster than the oxen wagon.

My relatives were scattered in the forest, scanning the road ahead for danger. The escort was big: one Fire Daimyo, one princess, twelve royal council members, one priest, four noblemen, one messenger, one doctor, eight professional dancers, five violinists, two trumpeters, three samisen players, one biwa stringer, twenty eight carriers, ten on-duty bodyguards, nine off-duty ones, and one lazy cat. Then there were the other "important" people.

The Fire Daimyo knew he would get bored on a two day road trip. But with a hundred people as luggage, it was a party.

Seriously, he could not go _two days_without music? I peeked out the veil, and glared at the source of shamisen music. It was nice to listen to a shamisen, but it had been playing nonstop. Come on! How many songs could there even be?

I drew the curtain shut and collapsed back to my seat. I was at one end, Itachi at the other, the princess smack in the middle. She was braiding my hair, pulling on it until it hurt.

"Stop moving, little sister."

I squirmed. "Then stop trying to make me bald!"

"I would not be if your hair was not so awful and unruly. Did you use shampoo this morning?"

"Yes," I said.

The princess sighed. "I guess some were just born unfortunate. Poor little sister."

Or maybe my hair was knotting because my hair did not like nasty fingers running all over it. And _excuse me_for not having Itachi's hair.

I glared in his direction. An idea came to me.

My lips curled up. Itachi caught my glee, alarmed.

I looked back and forth between him and the princess. Oh, this could work. "Say…" I began.

The princess took a metal pin from her bun and used it to locked strands of my hair in place. "Hm? Yes, little sister?"

"If you don't like my hair, why don't you use Itachi's," I said, causing her to stop.

The princess looked at her bodyguard. She pondered it over. "Now that I think of it…"

"C'mon," I urged. "His is perfect. It's _soft _and _silky_-"

Itachi could no longer keep his silence. "I don't think it is wise-"

"And _long _and _straight_-" I added.

"To abandon what you have so far-"

"I've never seen a _single _strand out of place," I said. "If four combings haven't broken my hair yet, I don't think you should waste your time with mine anymore."

If Itachi had ever looked more horrified, it would be now. "It is not a good idea-"

"It smells _ni_-ice," I sang.

"Itachi, turn around," the princess said.

Ayae: 1. Itachi: 0.

Itachi leaned away, looking ready to jump out of the carriage. With his ninja skills, he might just do so.

"What's wrong, Itachi?" I asked. "You heard the princess. Turn around."

I missed his death glare. When was the last time I got one of those? But then, the horses neighed and stopped. The veil lifted.

"Lunch time!" Shisui said. "C'mon squirt, jump off."

"_Now_?"

Itachi exhaled a breath of relief.

The princess sat up straight. "It is already noon?"

"Yes, your highness," Shisui said. "You and your father, the Lord, will dine at this restaurant."

I scrambled to get out, jumping off. We were in front of a seafood restaurant, judging from the golden koi on the roof.

Itachi landed on the other side and extended a hand to the princess. She took it and stepped off. Itachi held out a sun umbrella for her, and they walked side by side to the restaurant. I watched, a bit jealous. Itachi never did that for _me. _In fact, he passed by without a word.

"What are you waiting for, little sis?" the princess asked, beckoning me with her fan. "Come with us." She did not look back.

I stuck out my tongue. She could not boss me around!

"Don't make the princess wait, squirt," Shisui said, nudging me forward.

"I don't feel like eating there," I said. "Take me to my dad!"

"Why? Something wrong, squirt?"

"I just don't wanna eat here," I said.

"I'd change my mind if I were you. The food here's great," he said. "Or at least, I hope it is considering how much moolah we spent just to reserve this place."

"Well, what if I don't like seafood?" I asked, jerking a thumb to the koi.

"_Right_. Well, okay, I'll go and tell those two that you won't be coming."

"Thanks, Shisui."

"Yup," Shisui agreed. "They probably wouldn't mind. After all, the little Fire highness and Itachi get the lunch in _private_, with no _interruptions_**…**" I did not like the grin Shisui had. "Just the two of them _together _in a_small room _for a _hourrr_-_ow _ow OW."

I lifted my foot from his. "I change my mind. I'm hungry for fish."

"Whatever you say, squirt," he said, hopping on one leg.

I waved bye to him, then heaved open the door to the restaurant. The world was glamorous again. Water paintings, incenses, fish tanks, and _string _music. Oh gods, the string music.

I looked around the busy place. Itachi and the princess were with the hostess, who was leading them to a divided section of the restaurant. I followed them, pushing past the musicians, dancers, and noblemen.

Itachi held the curtain for the princess, and I dodged in as well. I made a face at him. "What, can't wait for me now?"

"At two thousand ryou an hour, Ayae, I'm afraid not," he said, letting the curtain fall.

"Okay, you know what, just because-"

I felt his fingers gliding past my ear. Itachi stroked his fingers through my hair, untangling all the braids. One by one, they unraveled. He ran his fingers through once to uncurl the rest.

"Don't be left behind," he said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

Then he reappeared beside the princess, sending me one last look.

Cursing, I ran to catch up.

Our table was in the back. The place was surrounded by shoji, bamboo matting, and lanterns. Giant vases of exotic plants stood in the corner.

"Ah, so glad we can rest from that awfully bumpy ride," the princess said, making herself comfortable on a cushion. Itachi knelt to her right. Hesitantly, I took the last seat to her left.

A waitress placed a teapot on the table, along with cups. She poured us the drinks before bowing and leaving. Next came a waiter, who asked in a funny accent what we would like.

"Fugu-chiri," the princess said, waving him away.

"Of course," the waiter said, and then left.

Hold on, what about my order? I raised my hand, but the waiter was gone.

"Um, what about me?" I said, scratching my head with my raised hand.

"What about you?" the princess asked.

"Err, what am I eating?"

"Silly sis, same thing I am," she said, tapping me on my head with her fan.

Great, if I knew what on earth a fugu-chiri is. I wanted to tell her that I wanted shrimp. Well, at least I was not paying.

"So. Itachi, you always do escorts for her?" I asked.

The princess answered for him. "Yes, I hire him. For all throughout my stay in Konoha, in fact."

"Why?"

"I wanted to see Konoha. He showed me around the clothing and entertainment district. We even ate at this place called Suzuki's."

Okay. Let me get this straight. Itachi got paid two thousand ryou an hour to _shop_, _play_, and _eat_. Where do I sign up for a job?

"How did you like it?" I asked.

"It could have been better," the princess said disdainfully. "The restaurant was decent but modest. The cheap spices were obviously not imported from Suna. The dishes were too heavily seasoned. Some plates did not look appetizing. The waiter's manner was revolting, the seats were tacky…"

She complained on and on. Even though a place like Yakiniku Q was more popular, Suzuki's was still one of Konoha's best, right after Shushuya. If Tamaki were here, she would be so insulted. I was too, proud of all of the restaurants at my village.

"… the lighting was nauseating. Plus, although I requested a private table, there were far too many eyes. I planned on dining, not signing autographs, and we did not get peace until the restaurant staff finally shooed them out. Konoha is far too impolite and unabashed at staring."

"Well, _big sis_, maybe it's because we don't see royalty every day."

"My presence is a privilege."

I rolled my eyes. "Sounds just great. So why do you need Itachi for all of _that_?" I asked.

"Silly little sister. I cannot wander around the streets by myself."

I dodged her head-tap. "I can, and I'm younger!" I said.

She giggled. "Cute. Trying to be grown up, little sis? Unfortunately, I am too important to be left unguarded."

Oh, _please_! There were plenty of other princesses from other countries to kidnap.

"But why _him_?" I asked again, and Itachi looked at me.

"Is it bothering you that I chose him, little sis?" the princess asked.

YES! "No," I said, pouting. "Just wondering."

"If you must know," the princess said, "my father hired him in the past. Itachi caught my eye, and I had him serve under me several times. You can say I grew rather fond of your cousin, little sister. He is much better than those other fools who used to be my guards."

"And what's wrong with them?"

"I did not like them," she said. "So I had them executed. They usually never last past a week anyway."

She smiled sweetly. I fell off my cushion. I made a note to prepare a funeral. Itachi had a crazy suicide job.

The princess and Itachi then went on about business things that I did not understand, so I leaned my elbows on the table. I thought over what the princess said, then stared at them. They looked happy together. The way they stand, walk, and sit fit each other. I felt left out. Even their talk was too grown up, and I did not understood words like "retribution" and something that sounded like "covenant."

Bored, I reached for the cup of tea in front of me. It was too hot. I waved my hand in the air, then popped my fingers into my mouth.

"… but you will go with me to the capitol," the princess said.

I turned to the couple. I understood _that_.

I listened, my finger still in my mouth. The royal family and our clan had to split somewhere. Half of my clan would escort the royal family all the way. Whether Itachi was part of that half, I did not know.

"It has yet to be determined," Itachi said, reaching for his own cup. He blew the vapor away before taking a sip. The cup did not burn him. Of course.

"But you will go with me to the capitol," the girl said again, frustrated. "It is part of your mission."

Meanwhile, Itachi looked at my hand, giving me with a funny expression. One of disbelief that I could burn myself on a _tea cup_. "Ah, for the first half. But we are leaving the boundary of Konoha's influence, and my mission is limited to be within the range of Konoha."

"So you will not be going."

My ears perked up.

"Depends on what further instructions I receive." Itachi kept his gaze on me, then the princess. "However, as of now, I will probably not be accompanying all the way to the capitol."

Her fan stopped. "It will be a yes. Even if not the mission, there is still our contract."

"The contract expired when I obtained chuuninship," he said.

The fan clicked close. "It is _renewed_."

"It is still pending…"

"I do not think so," she said lowly.

Oho! Looked like Itachi and the princess were not so buddy-buddy. Fighting back a grin, I brought the cup to my lips and blew.

"My father approved of these orders, and it would take one day to impend at most. Konoha should have granted it by now."

"Princess-"

"No. You belong to _me_," the princess said, slamming her fan on the table.

Meanwhile, I spit out my tea.

Holy _ricecakes_.

I covered my mouth, twisting my face into twenty different shades of disgusted. The tea was bitter. I grimaced and pushed the cup far away from me as my arm could extend. Nasty, nasty, nasty!

Itachi looked away from me, hiding his chuckle.

The princess did not notice me. But she did see Itachi's gaze drop and made him look back at her. "Is that not right, Itachi?"

I wiped off my mouth on my arm, and made one final gag.

Within a blink, Itachi recovered himself. "Of course," he said, the corners of his lips fighting a smirk.

"Good," the princess said, her charm back.

Pleased, the princess turned to her own tea cup. She brought the cup to her lips. I was about to warn her. But then, I thought better of it. Grinning, I let her drink.

I was disappointed when she swallowed. Aw, I was expecting the funny faces.

But then, she brought the cup back down onto the table. "Oh my heavens…" she said. "T-this tea is…" She brought the back of her hand to her lips, and it looked like she could not stomach the tea.

"Awful?" I finished for her.

She nodded. "So right, little sister," the princess said shakily.

She breathed, and then shoved her tea across the table.

Her voice rose. "The ratio is completely _OFF_! The tea is so dilute, it is HOT TAP WATER. I have never tasted something so bland before in my life! WAITER!"

With a bang of her fan against the table, three people came rushing in. It was the woman from before, along with two others, all bowing. "Y-yes, princess?" they asked.

"I want real green tea if you may," the princess said. "Get this out of my face!"

"We are so sorry, princess."

"Right away, princess."

"Pardon us, princess."

In a flash, the three workers cleaned the table. One worker even snatched the cup Itachi still had in his hand. Somewhere in between, a worker pulled out a cloth and cleaned up my spills from before. Before I knew it, another lady came in with a separate pot. She poured the three of us a cup, and waited, head bowed.

The princess lifted the new cup. She looked at the lady. "I hope that this time, it was prepared right," the princess said.

But just as the cup was near her lips, a finger tapped the rim of the cup. Itachi stopped the princess from taking a drink.

"If I may," he said, and the princess brought the cup down again.

"Oh, I am sorry, Itachi. I am not thinking clearly, today being so upsetting and all," she said. "Here."

I blinked, watching the princess hand her cup to Itachi, who took the first sip. He closed his eyes and nodded, offering the cup back to her.

After the princess took her sip, she looked happy. Relieved, the lady excused herself away.

However, just as the lady left, a million more people entered. Twenty different plates were set on the table. Ivory chopsticks. Ceramic bowls. Sauce dishes. A big pot of simmering soup. Platters of sliced seafood.

I was overwhelmed. But even with all the colors, nothing looked tasty. I squinted at the weird looking gooey fishes and spaghetti mushrooms.

But the princess was happy. She inhaled, then grabbed her chopsticks, clapped her hands, and took a piece of some funky fish.

She let the fish cook in soup, before dressing it in sauce and placing it on her plate. "Eat," she told Itachi, shoving her plate in front of him. "I am starving!"

I got confused. I had been taught that the important people ate first. I found it strange for the princess to be letting Itachi eat before her. Huh. Guess it was self-serve then! Sweet!

So, gooey fishy or spaghetti mushrooms? Heck, I would eat both to get rid of this tea taste in my mouth. I spied a fat shrimp and snatched it with my chopsticks. I dipped it the sauce, ready to take a bite...

… when suddenly, the shrimp went flying.

A chopstick shot through the air, missing my face by a hair. The shish kebobbed shrimp and chopstick went through the rice paper of the shoji divider.

I dropped my chopsticks, my mouth still open.

"Ayae, don't eat anything…" Itachi warned me, his hand over his mouth.

He began coughing. Alarmed, the princess placed a hand on his shoulder. "Itachi? Itachi?!"

Then, a billion things happened at once.

There was a noise from the room of the Daimyo. There were screams from waiters and customers. People flashed into the room. The vases in the corner smashed. The shoji screen collapsed onto our table, knocking over the pot, which slashed soup everywhere. The princess's fan flashed. There were blurs in every direction, the sounds of clangs and clicks and gongs.

I did not even get the chance to breathe, to think, to even blink when someone's arm wrapped around my waist in a suffocating hold. That was when everything vanished from my sight. My next breath was the hot outside air, as I was shoved into a carriage.

My mouth was still open, because I still thought I was about to eat a shrimp.

.

"Mhm-hmm-hhph-mm!"

"M-Hmhm-mhm-hmm-hhph-mm!"

"Damn, which one is it?"

That one, you idiots! That one! Even a _blind _person could tell which one was the damn princess!

"I think it's obviously this one…"

"Could be in disguise."

I threw a tantrum, thrashing to get the ropes off me. When nothing worked, I kicked my feet and sprayed dirt at my captors.

"Or not."

"Then who's this other girl? I still say that one there was hired as the double."

"Who is it? We are not lugging both around."

"Why not ask them yourselves?" One flashy entrance later, Itachi knocked the nearest guy next to him out.

Meanwhile, the other men of the group went into battle formation. Weapons flew everywhere. A kunai fell near me, and I scooted toward it. I wiggled a hand free of the binds and filed away at the ropes. Two ninjas charged at Itachi and got the end of each other's sword.

Three down, two to go. Itachi, hurry up, dammit! My wrists were chafing! A few more saws and the last strand broke free. I yanked off the bandana around my mouth, and then worked on the ropes tying my ankles.

By now, the first befallen man came around, and noticed me. "Ugh, wheredathink you're going?" he slurred. The creepy man crawled over to me, grabbing my foot.

"Eep!" With as much force as I could, I kicked him square in the jaw. He rolled over and died again.

"Gotcha you little brat," one of the men laughed as he strangled Itachi in a vice grip. His teammate got out a kunai to finish Itachi off. I nailed the man in the head with a giant log. When Itachi was freed, he finished the last bad guy.

Thus, victory was ours.

"Ayae watch ou-"

A kunai went through me.

I looked down at the kunai before poofing. From behind, I whacked the bad guy with my log again so he would stay down. _Now _victory was ours.

To Itachi, I asked, "Jeez, what took you so long-?"

Before I knew it, I felt him wrap his arms around me in a choking hug.

"Can't… breathe…" His grip loosened until we shared a nice, normal hug. Ah, this was the life-

"Mhm! Hhm-hn-HMMM!" I saw squirming in the background.

My eye twitched.

Itachi went for one of the kunai littered on the floor. Once he was by the princess, he pulled down the cloth gagging her.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK-" He pulled the cloth back up.

"I say we just leave her here!" I said.

"That wouldn't be smart."

I pouted.

"It'd be better to just kill her," Itachi said, and I beamed. Wonderful idea! Now, the princess was _really_mad, screaming into the cloth. Then, she became _real _quiet.

"We can leave now," Itachi said, offering a hand.

"Great!"

Then we went left the forest, and everyone lived happily ever after.

Oh, and he also held out that umbrella for me.

…

"Squirt, I'm no psychologist, but I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be smiling right now."

Too bad real life sucked. My smile dropped into a frown. Why Shisui? Why ruin the moment?

"Shut up," I scowled.

Shisui shrugged. "Eh. Just expected the crying, shivering, crazy psychotic episodes that kids are supposed to get when they undergo trauma."

"Excuse me for not being traumatized," I said.

"Itachi got you outta there before you could even blink, didn't he?"

"Yup."

"What a show off."

"I know, right?"

What really happened was far from my daydream. I had seen one flying bowl of soup with a lot of blurs. But before I saw any of the rogue ninjas everyone was muttering about, Itachi had tossed me into a empty carriage. I sat, hearing nothing. Minutes later, swarms of my clansmen flood into the restaurant. Then everything calmed, with the struggling rogue ninjas led out.

When I stepped out of the carriage, my relatives were helping the people out of the restaurant. Some customers were trembling, while others did not look bothered. Some were crying, while others were joking. Most were annoyed at not getting to eat.

Within the chaos, I found Itachi with the princess. But there were many guards around her this time. Itachi saw me, and left the group without anyone noticing.

I demanded what was going on. He ignored my questions in favor of triple checking me for injuries. He even made me to show him my wrists, my shoulders, and the back of my neck. I stomped down my foot when he eyed for head injuries, brushing strands of my hair aside to see if there was any signs of scrapes or bumps.

When I yanked him off me, screaming that I was one hundred percent _F.I.N.E._, he stopped.

When his expression softened again, I thought he would relax.

But no. Of course no. His face stoned over and the next thing I knew, he dumped me with Shisui. Itachi did not explain, nor did he listen. He was gone before Shisui even had the time to open his mouth.

So, that left us on the band wagon, with a bunch of gossiping dancers and annoying string music. Shisui and I were _not_happy.

"You know, squirt," Shisui said. "I'm sitting here, and I realize something."

"What's that?"

"That a ten year old is ordering me around."

I snorted. "You realize that now."

"Kinda sad, isn't it, squirt. Tell me, do you wanna be here?"

"What do you think? I'd rather be stuck with that royal brat than listen to _this_-" I jerked my thumb toward the music. "-one more time. No offense."

"Non' taken," the musician said.

"And I don't wanna be here either," Shisui complained. "So. You don't want to be here, I don't want to be here, and I don't think Itachi has the authority to keep us here."

"And?" I wanted to know what Shisui was going with this.

"I say we rebel!"

I lit up. I liked that idea. "Yeah. We should tell him off!"

"Yup! He has no right to make us stay here!"

"Yeah! We can't be bossed around!"

"So we should just up and leave!"

"And he can't stop us!"

"What _can _he do?"

"Revolt!" I raised my fist up in the air.

"Revolution!" He did the same.

"YEAH!"

"YAY!" the dancers giggled, cheering with us.

More string music.

I hung my head. How about some war drums here?

"So, you going to tell Itachi, right?" I asked Shisui.

Shisui scratched his head. "Maybe you should."

"You think he'll listen to _me_? You do it."

"Well, I am enjoying my prosperous life. I don't feel suicidal today, and I don't want to be breathing out a straw for the rest of my life. _You _tell him."

"No, you tell him! You're older!"

"Like _that _counts. You weren't there five years ago were you? Me, ten. Me, the attention span of a fruit fly. Me, got bored of watching a sleeping baby so I left. Him, _five_. Him, angry to find crying baby alone at home. Me, met some pretty nurses in the hospital next morning. I'm not repeating that experience again, especially not after he's doubled in age."

"Just remind him of the sacred ties of your friendship?" I suggested, giving a cheesy grin and a double thumbs up.

"Oh right, the sacred tie of friendship that is written on this wonderful certificate of friendship here," Shisui said, presenting an imaginary piece of paper. "I wouldn't dream of not having it on me. With it, Itachi would kill me. Without it, he would kill me in a cruel and unusual way."

"Oh come on! You're scared of our ten year old cousin. BE A MAN!"

"You do it! He wouldn't hit a girl!"

"Then be a WOMAN! Transform into a lady, wear some dresses, and go tell him!"

"Or you can!"

The strings stopped. "Both o' yer a pair o' chickens," the musician said. "You, lil missus, and you, youn' lad, get outer 'ere! It's hard 'nuff to be playin' on movin' 'round without yer ruckus!" he said, booting us out. We landed with our faces flat in the dirt.

The wagon wheeled away, leaving us alone on the deserted road.

"And now we're screwed," I said.

"At least we're free now, squirt?" Shisui laughed.

"AAAAAHHHhhh!"

We both got up at the scream. I turned toward the noise. To my surprise, there was a royal carriage down the road, stopped by the forest. I would thanking for our good luck had it not been for the creepy shrill earlier.

Exchanging a look, Shisui and I approached the carriage.

There was another scream. "LAY YOUR HANDS OFF ME!"

I knew that voice. Was the princess being kidnapped _again_? I rushed toward the crime scene.

Suddenly, I froze. Wait. If that was the case, then what happened to Itachi?

"ITACHI, STOP TOUCHING ME! YOU ARE RIPPING MY CLOTHES- MHM HMHMHM!"

I heard Itachi's voice next, but it was whispered so lowly that I could not tell what he was saying.

There were more screams, the ruffles of clothes, a thud of their bodies falling down, and a slap. Then an outraged scream. I heard the princess huff angry breaths. "I knew this was going to happen! I knew you would be like the rest of those disgusting mongrels! You coward, you horrible, _incompetent_-!"

Another sharp slap. Another cry. "LET GO! LET GO LET GO-! W-wait… y- you will not dare."

"Then stop struggling."

Shisui and I yanked the curtain open at the same time. Both Itachi and the princess looked up at us, frozen.

My jaw dropped.

Shisui's jaw followed mine to the ground.

After two minutes of pure silence, Shisui dropped the curtain. Then, burying his face in his hand, he walked away from the carriage, chanting a mantra to clean his mind of any bad mental images.

Meanwhile, I stood there. I waited to get over my shock. I had a few more seconds to go before I exploded. So I tapped my feet and crossed my arms, using the time to figure out one, why Itachi was groping the princess's leg, two, why the princess was on top of him, and three, _how on earth _could you bend your arm like that.

The curtain flew open, and I had the air knocked out of me. "Little sis! You are unharmed!"

My broken ribs said otherwise. I was sandwiched between her and the ground, only to be pulled back up again and crushed under a grip that made me go blue in face.

"Heavens, I missed you," she exclaimed, acting like a girl who found her long lost childhood… doll.

Itachi stepped out of the carriage, looking as if hell took him by the neck and maimed him. He gave a weary look when both the princess and I shot him a glare.

"You tyrannous dictator!" she spat.

"You bully!" I yelled.

I exchanged a look with the princess.

"Uh, you first?"

"No, you may."

After a side conversion on who had the honors of ranting first, we both cleared our throats.

"You are by no means unaware that you have _no_control over me!" the princess told Itachi.

"Shisui and I both agreed you can't boss us around!" I said.

"I have higher status, higher command, and I can order you to do whatever I wish, not the other way around."

"Just because you're a freaking chuunin doesn't mean you can make me to do whatever you want!"

"If I wish to be accompanied by someone from the outside, I have every right to have it so, and you cannot deter my choices by lying nor by forcibly keeping us apart."

"You can't just _throw_me to Shisui without giving us a _word_!"

"So perform your duty or expect me to assume the worst in you, in which you not only failed my test but also prohibited me my rights."

"Seriously, I get the no-friends thing, but I thought at least we got over the five-kilo-distance crap! Itachi, I'm a person, and really, I think you should treat me like I'm one!"

"Or else you are following all my other pathetic guards to the execution blade!"

"Or else I'm telling your _mom_!"

A pause.

"That is harsh," the princess told me.

"Hey! I'm not the one killing him," I said.

"My sentence is swifter."

"Well, you have a point."

For once, the princess and I were on the same page, much to Itachi's misery. The princess had given him a rough time after learning I was not coming, and I only worsened the situation.

Itachi waited for us to finish, then walked over, a little _too _calm. We swallowed, as he switched his gaze between the princess and me, deciding who he should silence first.

And of course, the wheel of fortune landed on me, because even with a princess _cursing at _and _slapping _him, I _totally _gave him the harder time. _Me_, the innocent bystander, the unfortunate victim, the little poor- okay, maybe not, but still. The princess should go first.

"Ayae…" he began. I shrunk like a kid prepared for a scolding.

"Itachi." I nervously laughed.

"You seem to refuse to let me have any peace of mind, because every time, you somehow return to break it. Tell me, do you wish for my death?" he asked.

"Um, no, but-"

"Then do you enjoy jeopardizing your own life?"

"Of course not but-"

"Then after experiencing an incident that nearly did, wouldn't you agree it makes sense that you should be placed under safer hands so a second incident will not occur again?"

"Okay, yes, but-"

"So we agree you should. Now, have I forced you to do anything else?"

"No?"

"Have I asked anything of you at all?"

"… no."

"So will you explain how by merely watching for your own interest, I am, as you say, 'bossing you around,' especially when I have neither restricted your freedom nor requested anything of you."

"Um, it's, well, it's because, err… well…" I scratched my head. Huh. "You see, um, you can't just… my freedom is, well, I _want_to stay so… you putting me, but- I mean, yeah that, and, um, it's just not my will?" I ended my blabbing. "Yeah."

Itachi just asked, "Do you want to live?"

"Um, yes?"

"Do you want to be unhurt?"

"Yes?"

"Then which would you hire to protect you? An alert shinobi with two hands open, or a distracted one with one hand full?"

"Is that a trick question?"

"No, it is not. The first. Therefore, it is in your interest and your 'will,' and since I am taking both into consideration, I clearly see you as a human being. Everything else is irrelevant, so please return to Shisui and leave."

Well, I was defeated, my mind looped around so many times that I swore he made a double helix knot with my brain. It was _so _not my will, but he made it sound _so _right that I was _so _confused. While I tried to fix my brain jam, Itachi went to the princess.

"Contrary to what you believe, highness, I have orders from your father, which overrides any command you can give me." And then, he extended a hand, which will either escort or force the princess back into her carriage. "One of those orders includes making sure you reach your destination on time."

The princess narrowed her eyes. Her chin up, she turned a cheek and said, "My father never said you could take little sister away from me!"

Itachi was not fazed. "No. He did not," he said. "Instead, he asked me to protect you to the best of my abilities. He asked me to take the route that has the highest chance of guaranteeing your safety."

"But-"

"That includes Ayae being exempt from this ride. I will not repeat my mistake and leave your safety to chance again. I am one person, highness, and I suggest that you do not overestimate my abilities."

"And if I say I do not care and want little sister with me nonetheless?"

"I will not permit it."

The princess did not like being bossed around. Without warning, she attacked. Itachi disappeared when senbon needles shot at him. Five senbon, all in a perfect line, dug deep into the tree meters away.

Surprised, I fell on my butt.

The princess snapped close her fan, a fan that I realized was loaded with _needles_. She lowered her eyelids. "I never need _anyone's _permission."

I nearly turned to a puddle of mush when she gave me a smile. She dropped her fan in my lap. "Little sister, do me the favor of guarding that?" she asked. I played hot potato with it, scared that a needle would launch at me.

The princess sprang into action. She was good, with a stack of hidden weapons and enough katas to send many kunoichi to shame.

She pulled out shuriken from her obi and threw with speed and accuracy. Itachi dodged, but she was already somersaulting with a down kick. While he dodged again, a kunai slipped down her sleeve. The princess had Itachi in eight seconds flat.

But then, Itachi was Itachi. With his palm, he caught his fall, flipped up, and evaded every kunai in one move.

"Are you done," Itachi sighed, after he caught a shuriken and let it spin around his finger.

"Not until you concede," she said, yanking out one of the flowers in her hair. Her bun came loose, and her soft locks fell down.

The glint in her eyes matched the glint of the dagger in her hand, a lotus flower wrapped around the handle. The chiming princess was gone. The scary nutcase was here.

I decided to get out of firing range.

As the princess battled with the knife, I thought about my choices again. Scary nutcase with twenty million pointy objects, or string music. Hm, maybe the wagon was better after all.

Nonetheless, the fight was interesting. I grabbed a handful of popcorn from a bucket, my eyes glued to their fight. The princess had Itachi with back-to-back offense. She _might_just win. Then again, maybe not, as Itachi caught the blade in between his fingers. Without effort, he took it away, swiveled it, and sent the blade deep into the ground.

"Man, and she _almost _had him."

"Damn, _I know_right?"

"Is a _millimeter _too much to ask for?"

"At least cut off _one _strand of hair!"

"Ugh, show off," we complained. I stuffed another handful of popcorn in my mouth before freezing. Wait, where did this popcorn come from? Then I jumped. "Shisui? You came back!"

Itachi had a struggling princess when he came to us. He greeted Shisui in monotone. "Cousin."

"You'd think I've gained enough of your love, trust, and compassion to at least earn a 'Hello, Shisui!' or 'Greetings, dear cousin!' or 'Salutations, friend!' or-"

"Stop."

"Alright, what's gotten you in a knot?"

The princess was kicking furiously. Tired, Itachi said, "This. Shisui, it would be easier to pacify my client if you would kindly take our cousin _away_," before letting the princess go. The princess huffed, snatching her fan back from me. She looked ready to hit Itachi with it.

"Mhm. I see. And why is the little highness upset?" Shisui asked the princess, copying a psychologist.

"He is keeping my little sister away from me!" the princess said, pointing her fan at Itachi.

"Ah, is that so," Shisui said, scribbling in his imaginary notebook. "And how does that make you feel, highness?"

"It makes me _feel_furious!"

"Mhm. I see. If so, Itachi, dude, take this from a professional - I'd keep the squirt on board. Then there would be no need to pacify, isn't that right, Ms. Highness? Someone of your standing _must _need companionship during this hour, and it's only natural to be enraged when you are deprived of what you deserve."

The princess blinked. Pleased, she smiled. Her voice chiming again, she told Shisui, "You capture my sentiments perfectly. Remind me to obtain a copy of your profile in the near future, Mr…"

"Uchiha Shisui at your service!" Shisui introduced himself. "Also known as Shisui the Mirage, Shisui of the Body Flicker, Shisui the Totally Amazing, Superman Shisui, Mr. Good-Looking, Mr. Manliness, Mr. Hotnesss…"

I face palmed. Of course Shisui would take the moment to advertise himself off to the richest family in the Fire Country.

"You are hired," the princess said, causing me to do a double take.

"Well, I'm honored, but-"

"Ten thousand ryou if you do whatever I ask for the rest of the trip."

Being the sellout he was, Shisui agreed in the bat on an eye. "I'm hired!"

Turning to Itachi, the princess smiled. She pointed at him. "Mr. Shisui, fight him."

Shisui still had unchewed popcorn in his mouth when he got the order. Everyone stared. We waited and waited until…

"Okay!" Shisui said, going into a funky kungfu pose that looked like a cross between a praying mantis, a drunken monkey, and a dying pig. The popcorn bucket on his head did not help. "Prepare to feel the wrath of my awesomeness!"

Itachi was not impressed. "Shisui, I have no time for this."

Shisui shrugged. "Then make the squirt stay."

With that, Shisui head-butted the bucket in the air and vanished. In a blink, he was by Itachi. Sometime in between the exchange of a million blows, the princess had sneaked behind me and pulled me toward the carriage.

"Shh, let us leave those two," she whispered.

"Hey! Wait!" I pulled my wrist away from her.

She stopped. "I thought you wanted to be with me."

"Err…" Yeah, that was before I knew she was a nutcase. "I change my mind. I think Itachi was right."

"You are coming."

"I told you, I don't think-"

Her voice lowered. "I do not care. You are _coming_."

"Am not!"

A menacing aura flashed in her eyes. "Then shall we duel?" she asked, going into battle position. "I win, you come."

Oh fishsticks, the nutcase was after me now. I was about to run, but then I thought it over. Itachi was busy with Shisui. The princess was already worn out from her fight with Itachi. I hated the princess and this was my one chance to kick her butt.

"No dagger, no needles, or any other pointy metal," I said.

The princess nodded. "Fair enough."

Grinning, I balled my hands into fists and went into my own battle position, nudging my chin up to tell her to have her go.

She took the first move. I missed her strike, and she dodged my punch. Her fan came shooting at my head, but I got myself out of the way. But before I knew it, she spun and gained another attack. I winced at the bruise.

The princess flapped her fan open. "Poor little sister, shall we treat it in the carriage?"

"I'm not your sister!"

Her fan clicked close, and flicking her wrist, she blocked my punch with the wood. But then, my foot swiveled, surprising her. I took the opening and tried to land a blow. She was still too fast. I found only air, while she littered my body with more bruises. She even kicked my calf, causing me to fall down. I bounced back up, and wiped the dirt off my arms. We were distanced again. Huffing, I stared the princess down, trying to find some way to get to her.

"Little sister, you fight like a boy," she said. "So gaudy."

Oh no she didn't. Criticizing me was one thing, but criticizing me with _big words_?

I charged. Screw textbooks, screw forms. My lack of stances threw her off. After two dodges, one drop kick, one trip, four punches, and three fan-whacks, my hand came striking down. The princess snapped shut her eyes, screaming.

_Thud_.

Something caught me.

I looked up, my grin wiped off. _Someone_caught me.

"Ayae, what do you think you are doing?" Itachi asked.

In the distance, Shisui was tied up from head to toe in a rope cocoon, trying to snail over to his popcorn. Their fight was over. Not only that, the road was cleaned up of all weapons.

I gave a nervous laugh. "Ah, Itachi, hi. Um… she wanted to fight me?"

"You are not allowed to harm my client," he said.

"But- but, but _she _attacked me like ten times," I said, showing my bruised arm.

Itachi's eyes narrowed at the injury. Something funny flashed in his eyes, but his voice did not change. "Regardless of whether she attacked you or not, you cannot attack her," he said. "Leave us. Now."

I wanted to tell him _that was exactly what I was fighting FOR_, but then I snapped my mouth shut. Instead, I went with, "You know what, Itachi. I change my mind! I'm coming along, and you can't stop me!"

The princess was overjoyed. Itachi was not. "Yes, I can and _will _stop you."

"Bring it on!" I shouted. I knew I had no chance against him, especially not after princess brat and Shisui failed, but I refused to go down without resistance.

Who knows, maybe they wore Itachi down.

...

Yeah, I had no resistance.

He vanished. The next thing I knew, Itachi lifted me off my feet.

"Hey! Put me down! Put me down!" I demanded, pulling on his hair.

He dumped me with Shisui. I sat in the dirt, a pout on my face.

"No! I want her with us!" The princess ran toward me until Itachi blocked her.

"Give that back!"

Itachi distanced himself and presented the princess her fan. "I will, after you calm down and stop fighting."

"Heavens, I _hate _you!"

After Shisui freed a hand, he lunged his hand into the popcorn bucket, only to realize there were only crumbs left. "Aw man! Forget this, I'm going back to get more grub. You kids have fun with your tween drama."

I was about to argue that I was _not _part of _their _drama, when my stomach growled. I had not eaten since breakfast. I was so hungry I could practically smell the barbeque.

Wait. I _was _smelling barbeque.

"Honey! What are you doing kids doing at the side of the road?"

The oxen wagon approached, my dad waving at us with a spatula in hand. Chef's hat, apron. There was _smoke _coming from the middle of the wagon.

The wagon stopped before us. "Did your carriage break down?" one of my relatives asked.

Seeing our condition, the adults exchanged a look. The princess was in hysterics. Itachi was a mess, half his face raw. I had dirt and bruises. Shisui was in his rope cocoon.

To answer their question, Shisui said, "Eh, we get a wee bit cranky when hungry. Mr. Kenta, is there any pie left on board?"

My dad disappeared into the wagon. Then his head popped up again, his hand holding two pies. "Pecan or walnut?"

That was enough for Shisui and I to scurry to the wagon.

"You guys are barbequing _shrimp_?" I gasped.

While Shisui and I called first dibs, the princess stopped wrestling Itachi, walked over to our wagon, and blinked at the food.

"Holy! Highness, care to join us?" my dad offered when he saw the princess stare at Shisui and me, who were cramming as much grub into our mouths as possible.

"That smells pleasant," she said.

It took twenty minute of bickering, five minutes of persuading, fifteen minutes of fighting, three minutes of struggling, and one minute of glaring from everyone before Itachi conceded.

_Somehow_, five hours later, we all sat together, again a setting sun. Wrappers littered everywhere, plates stacked up, barbeque sticks tossed in a corner. Shogi boards were set, playing cards tossed here and there, two bottles of ointment and q-tips scattered around. A chewed off shoe, a tower made of toothpicks, a poorly done origami crane, a million spitballs, a broken hair brush, a jar of spilled jam - the remains of our truth or dare game.

My dad was leading a carol, getting Shisui and his dad, a few of my relatives, and this fat cat to sing along and start a wave. The rest of the clan on board was grunting about this and that. The princess was testing out bags of foods unfamiliar to her, addicted to potato chips. Itachi was catching a break, using the time to write out his mission report. I was happy, patting my stomach, and slowly drifting to sleep.

I grew to like the Princess. We did makeup, and nail painting, and talked about the capital. So I was disappointed when I woke up in the morning and saw the princess was gone, the royal family having left for the capital.

Then I was surprised to see Itachi stayed behind, asleep by my side.


	15. Miyako Arc, Part I: The Innkeeper

I yawned. "Dad?"

In the wagon, my dad handed me a cup of juice. "Shh, some people are still sleeping. They took night shift to watch over us, honey."

There were a few snoozing relatives on board. Everyone else was gone.

"We're almost there," my dad said, "so the others decided to pace ahead."

I looked at Itachi, asleep.

My dad looked at him too and frowned. "Oh, he stayed up _very_late. If he were my son, I'd ground him. Every kid his age needs his ten hours at a set time."

"Where's the princess?" I asked.

"She left sometime around midnight, sweetie. She told me you're welcomed to her home anytime."

"And-"

"Shisui left earlier morning."

"What-"

"He'll be back soon. So after, you three can go play. Just be careful, okay honey?"

I nodded, and took a sip of the juice. The zesty flavor woke me up. Realizing I was not in some bizarre dream, I spat out my drink. This vacation was real, and I was stuck at an inn with Itachi for two weeks.

"Good morning KONOHA!" Shisui appeared in a burst of leaves, arms wide, a box on his head.

A kunai shot at him, piercing a leaf by his ear.

Shisui, oblivious, went on. "Yo Itachi, it took all morning, but I got you the dru— …uumms." Shisui stopped when he saw I was awake. Itachi also sent him a nasty look. "Yeah, drums. Err, I mean, flute. Hey, it can be for your fia— …sco, your fiasco yesterday. And the flute is the most relaxing of all the windpipe instruments? And relaxation is a remedy for stressing almost-got-kidnapped incidents? And it's nice to enjoy music after getting poi— err… pointed? Poignant? Panorama? Yeah, I got nothing. I should probably stop talking and hide this away before you kill me, shouldn't I?" He swiped the box from his head and hid it behind his back.

Itachi closed his eyes. "Cousin, remind me to never partner with you in reconnaissance missions."

"What's in the package?" I asked.

"Or any missions, for all that matters," Itachi finished, before giving me a weary look. "What will be the probability that you will forget every word he said?"

"What's in the package?" I asked.

Itachi sighed, and decided to go back to sleep.

That did not stop me. I loved mysteries. I loved boxes. Even more, I loved presents. When Shisui would not tell me, I tackled him. He jumped, I missed, he flipped over and landed on the road, I leaped over, and chased him in circles around the moving wagon.

"No way, squirt, ain't for you!"

The more he ran away, the more I wanted to know. "What's in the box?"

After twenty "What's-in-the-box?" and nineteen "Ain't telling!" we halted before one annoyed boy. Itachi, having enough with our noise, grabbed our shirts.

"What," Itachi said, "would it take for you two to quiet down."

"I want to see the box."

"Shisui, show her the box."

"What-"

"Show her the box."

"Whatever you say bossy pants." Shisui flashed the box over my face.

"HEY! I meant INSIDE the box!"

Shisui took off the lid, before capping it again at lightning speed. I could not even see anything.

"The STUFF inside the box!" I said.

Sighing, Shisui opened the box.

There was a golden glow of light when he did so. My eyes gleamed.

"YOU GOT _CHOCOLATE_?"

"Whoa!" Shisui removed the box before I was able to snatch a piece. I struggled to get on one of the truffles, but he kept it out of my reach no matter how I stretched or hopped.

"Ayae, it's too early," Itachi said. There were shadows under his eyes. Seeing him like that made me quiet down. I apologized.

"Actually, it's noon," Shisui said, thumping Itachi on the head with the box of chocolates. "I wasn't aware you were trying to win the work-to-death award on a _vacation_, but man you are doing a good job of burying yourself knee deep in dirt!"

Itachi looked unimpressed. "Shisui, there was nothing I could have—"

Shisui shut him up by popping a chocolate in his mouth. "If you complete that sentence, our golden, sacred friendship certificate will declare me the default owner of Uchiha Itachi because the current inhabitor of his body is incapable of doing something as simple as _taking a break _to save his life."

"This is not—"

Shisui stuffed another chocolate down Itachi's mouth. "Seriously, you keep hiding stuff like this from me, and we'll be attending more than one funeral. Had I not noticed yesterday night, I might be trying to drag your sorry carcass to a nice patch of dirt."

"You are over—"

"Will you stop being so stubborn just once?" Shisui asked, shoving down one chocolate after another in Itachi's mouth at a record speed. "If you want to die on me, fine, but at least have the courtesy of writing a will with my name in big fat letters."

"I—"

"BECAUSE. I. REFUSE. TO. COMMIT. ILLEGAL. GRAVEDIGGING. ACTS. UNLESS. I. KNOW. I'M. GETTING. YOUR. STUFF."

Itachi grabbed Shisui's hand. "Cousin, I took _one piece_, my body was capable of _tolerating_it, you were asked to do _one small favor_, and now would be a good time to snap out of the Delusion. That. I. Am. Dead." He pushed Shisui's hand away.

Shisui looked down at the remaining chocolates. "Huh, looks like these things work fast," he said. "Feeling better?"

Itachi turned his back and walked away.

"Can I please have a chocolate?" I asked Shisui nicely.

"It's not ch— whatever. It ain't for you, squirt." Shisui tucked the box away under his arm and went after the wagon.

I jogged to keep up. "But you gave them to Itachi!" I said. "One piece? Itachi won't mind sharing."

"Ain't for you," Shisui said.

"_Why_?" I whined.

"Um, it's International Bromance day?"

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Aw, why would I joke about IB day. I give him chocolates, he gives me the deadpan. You know, serious guy-bonding going on. Now, up you go, squirt." Before I could protest, Shisui swung me up the moving wagon, and then jumped on himself.

Once on board, I darted over to Itachi. "Hey, why can't girls get chocolates on International Bromance day? You know this isn't fair. Kunoichi seminar would call that _sexist-_!"

Shisui's hand found my mouth.

Itachi, who was accepting a cup of tea from my dad, stopped. "Should I even ask?"

"Please don't."

"Honey, that is a good question! Did you know your mom was active in feminist works…"

"MHMm!"

Half an hour later, we finished breakfast, washed our faces, combed our hair, and changed into fresh clothes. We held competitions. I won the sock changing contest, though Shisui got me in hair combing and ear cleaning. Shisui and I did a spitting contest too. I wiped the toothpaste from my mouth before looking overboard to see his spit was further in the dirt than mine. He must have cheated, because I beat Gin ten to one in spit balls at school. Still, Shisui claimed the title as king of spit.

Shisui swatted on an ox, scanning the horizons for landmarks. There were trees and pastures. Then, he squinted. Seconds later, he was pointing. "Oh man, that's the Katsura!"

At the news, my dad and I leaned over the side to see. I only saw forest, but then, something glittering caught my eye. As the wagon continued moving, I saw it was a river unwinding in the distance.

"Holy, that is beautiful!" my dad said.

Our relatives also stood up, and Itachi leaned next to me. "We're almost there."

Shisui rubbed his hands together. "You know what that means?"

"Seeing nature at its best!" my dad exclaimed.

"No more road sickness!" I jumped for joy.

"Home," Itachi said.

"Fishing!" my relatives cheered, toasting their morning tea.

"No, no, no, and no. It means, AUNT MIKOTO'S AMAZING COOKIES THATTAWAY!"

For once, Shisui lived up to his name as the uncatchable ninja. He was _outta_here, a cloud of dust behind him.

I exchanged a look with Itachi. We climbed out and ran after our cousin.

"Bye dad! Bye uncles! Bye cows!" I said, waving, before turning to Itachi and asking, "Where the heck is Shisui going?" Shisui's dust path was leading across the fields and into the forest.

"Shortcut. Go through the woods and beyond is the bridge. The road itself has to go around."

"Sweet!"

I loved the run. Sun was perfect. Grass was perfect. Wind perfect. Laughing, I spun around and began running backwards. "Come on, faster! He's way ahead of us!"

Itachi shook his head, smiling, before he disappeared in a wisp of grass. The moment he vanished, I was pulled off my feet in free fall. My world tilted, what was behind was now up, ahead now down. The wind gushing by was deafening. Then, everything became quiet again and my foot found the ground. We were in front of the forest, gaining at least five hundred meters.

"You and your ninja tricks." I pouted. "Any chance you going to teach me that?"

"Why should I?" He teased, smirking.

"Oh, you're just afraid that if I learn it, I'd beat you in any chase." I set off again, leaping over the fallen log and feeling the crunch of needles and leaves under my feet.

Itachi dropped from a branch and landed in front of me, causing me to bump into him. "Ayae, I call for a wager."

Rubbing my nose, I asked, "A wager? Like a bet?"

"Yes."

I grinned. So Itachi finally felt like joining in our morning contests.

"Bring it on!"

"The bridge is north of here. You cannot miss it. If you are able to go through this forest and reach there before I can, then I will take sole responsibility of the katana."

I blinked, and then cursed. Damn, knew it was too good to be true for him to just forget about that.

"And if you win…?" I asked.

"If I win, when I make a request, you will do it without question."

"And that would be?"

A pause, a breeze, a falter in the air.

"I will tell you when the time comes," he said.

I tapped my finger against my chin. "Okay, so I race against you. I win, nothing happens. You win, you get to do whatever you want with me. Let's see, NO." I made an X with my arms. "Itachi, you are a chuunin, so the chances I win are none. And your request can be _anything_. Like lick the floor or eat a crayon something else stupid that Gin always makes me do whenever I lose, but with him, I have at least 50-50 of making him do the same stupid thing."

Leaning closer to me, Itachi said, "If that is how you feel, then you can name the conditions."

I counted my fingers. "One, you can't use anything ninja. Two, I should at least get a three minute head start. Three, if I win, not only will you drop the katana incident, I get _three _'requests' that you have to do without question."

"And if I win?"

"Then you can make me do whatever. And I ask that it doesn't include ground licking." I stuck out my tongue at the memory.

Itachi thought it over, then nodded and unblocked my path. "I accept those conditions."

"Alright, you asked for it!" I darted off.

"Don't fall."

"Eat my dirt!" I shouted.

I ventured out, each twig, leaf, and fern blurring by.

Soon, I saw the Katsura in the distance. Itachi was nowhere to be seen.

The problem was that I was out of breath, gasping and flushed. I leaned against a tree and tried to catch my breath. I gave myself twenty seconds most, before setting out again. The bridge could not be more than a few more minutes ahead.

However, as soon as I took a step, something whooshed by my ear, like a fly buzzing past. It was not until I heard the crack, splintering, and vibration that I froze.

From _nowhere_, an _arrow_spat out. I leaped away from the arrow, trying to find where it came from. When I saw nothing in the trees, I checked the ground to make sure I did not step on a trip wire. I could hear Funeno's words, and my mind went to Itachi.

It was strange that I had not heard anything of him yet. Maybe he did this. I bet he planted booby traps so he could come, untangle me, and be all Mr. Hero. I scowled. Well, I was up to his tricks, and he was not going to find me crying here in the woods.

When there was a shuffling up in the tree leaves, I glared in that direction, then whipped back toward the Katsura.

As I thought, the forest was booby trapped. There were wires _everywhere_, crisscrossing like a widow's web. While I skipped over some, others got me almost every time. Miraculously, all the weapons were rigged to miss, so after I found the guts, I charged ahead, ignoring the blurs darting past me.

I had to fall for countless arrows, senbon, and _holes_.

There were giant holes in the ground that were covered up by needles and leaves. When I learned pit traps in class, I had laughed about how stupid they were. I was not laughing now. The holes were the worst.

After getting covered head to toe in leaves, groundwater, and moss the ninth and final time, I crawled out with the slowness of zombie but the fury of a wolf. I collapsed on the ground and screamed, "OH, YOU ARE SO GOING TO GET IT WHEN I FIND YOU ITACHI!" I was so, so mad, tearing out all the leaves, pines, and twigs in my hair.

Then, to send me falling right back into the hole I _just _climbed out of, Itachi appeared in front of my face. He stared at me so intensely that I jumped out of my skin.

But as I tumbled down, I caught the flow of long hair. Wait. Itachi's hair was tied. And, that was not his face. In fact, was that not a girl…?

_Crash._

I groaned.

After getting out of the hole for the second time, I looked around the forest. "Itachi?" I got no reply. Maybe it was my imagination, since I did fall on my head.

At the banks of the Katsura, I collapsed at the foot of the bridge in front of Itachi's feet.

"That took you longer than I expected."

"You... you CHEATER!" I sprung back to life, pressing my face against his. "That was not funny! Not at all, you hear me!"

And as response, Itachi pretended _he had no idea what I was talking about_. "Ayae, are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay!" I yelled, yanked out another twig that was buried under my shirt. "I don't remember _booby trapping the forest_as part of our bet!"

A lifted eyebrow. "Will you clarify that statement?"

"Clarify? _Clarify? _Okay, I'll _clarify _for you with this!" I shook him, screaming, "YOU ARE SO GOING TO PAY FOR THIS, YOU HEAR? _YOU HEAR_?" Then, pushing him away, I collapsed and wailed, "Ten times! You're worse than Funeno!" I nailed him with a twig and defiantly sat at the foot of the bridge.

"Ayae—"

"Don't Ayae me!"

"Will you—"

"Listen, no."

"I—"

"Am a jerk, you bet."

"Please—"

"Get up, nope."

"Are you—?"

"Going to sit here until you apologize, my plan."

A sigh.

I refused his hand, turning a cheek, until I heard an apology. He wearily looked at the forest behind me. The leaves danced with the shadows, the Katsura gleamed and rippled, a pair of birds were tangoing in the air, a butterfly fluttered past us,. The wild plants and trees, bark to bark, branch to branch—

I opened an eye and noticed how Itachi had his gaze fixed on a spot in the woods.

Itachi offered his hand again. "Forgive me, Ayae. This bet will not count."

I accepted his hand. "You _bet_this bet won't count! Gods, you and Shisui and your stupid sense of humor!" I said, patting the dirt off my pants. "Pull this again, and..."

I vented while he guided me toward the bridge. He walked by my side yet always a step behind, following like a shadow.

"Ayae," he interrupted my ranting. "There is less than a mile from here to Miyako, and the inn is only half, so if you are tired…"

I stopped and turned around, bumping into him. I had not realized he was so close. Neither did Itachi, as he quickly took a step back.

"Tired? Me? Why, that was _nothing_, Itachi. You think you got me, don't you? Well, you know what, we're racing again." My lungs asked my mouth to stop talking, but my pride had taken over.

"I don't—"

"It's because you're scared that I'd beat you if it was on the ROAD and not in that stupid little FOREST. No, we redoing our bet. First one to the inn wins!"

"Ayae—"

I was already across the bridge, my own little dust cloud trailing after me. Itachi looked once more at the forest then followed me.

I had half a mind that Itachi let me win, as I crossed the imaginary finish line and fell flat on my face. I hugged the road in front of a hot springs inn, where dozens of my relatives were collected near, unpacking scroll after scroll.

"Take… that…" Dirt made a comfy bed. My sweat created a puddle in the ground.

"You win," Itachi said.

"You… got… that… right. YEAH!" I gave the sky a loud cry, signing my victory off with my fist in the air.

When Itachi tried to help me up, I instead pulled him down with me. Taken by surprise, he crashed down, and I took the opportunity to pounce on him. "You are never going catch me, Itachi!" Then, grinning, I poked him and leap off. "TAG! You're IT."

For once, he was the one who could not understand what happened. By the time Itachi recovered, I was already gone, running toward the inn. I waved back, sticking my tongue out and laughing.

Something cracked at that moment. Some wall that crumbled down, freeing Itachi long enough to play my silly games.

"Eep!" I squeaked when he gained on me, and I set forward at full speed, accidentally bumping into an adult now and then. I looked back to see how he evaded them all, his footsteps tracing down my path.

And then, when I was within his reach, the most unusual dance took place, one I had never practiced for before. My feet acted on its own, twisting my body away. Without pause, he completed my movements in symmetry. Like how leaves whirl in the air, like how the moon pushes and pulls on the water, like how fire bends to the will of the wind, there was a force that bound and pushed us at the same time. And when we touched, I snapped shut my eyes.

"Tag."

And thus, the leaves settled on the ground.

Until a new wind picked them up again. When I dared to open my eyes, I saw a kid ten years old staring back, vivid with a color of emotions that I had never seen before. After years of chiseling away that mask, it came off, and the face behind it was beautiful. So beautiful that it was almost surreal.

And I was turned to the child I was as well, the girl who had once pointed at the many things in the marketplace, finding the ones that were the most beautiful. That dress, that umbrella, that hat, that flower. That boy.

_Mommy, that one. Can I have that one?_

Mom… can I have this one?

_It's so pretty._

He's so beautiful.

_Holy! Leave it to our little girl to pick the most expensive doll in the store._

_I approve! Good taste!_

_Whaa?_

_Hey, she got her eyes from somewhere. So, you going to break the news to her, or shall I?_

_Mommy, please! Can I have it?_

_No, Ayae honey, you can't have it._

_Why?_

_Hmm, I'm afraid this one's out of our reach._

_Huh? But it's right here. I can touch it, see mommy?_

_I'm sorry, honey._

But he's right here.

I could even touch him, a hand colder than mine, rougher than mine, and I had no idea when my hands even came upon his. But he was there and I squeezed harder. My eyes were still unable to look away from him.

"Ayae?"

Mom, I can't have him, can I?

_Kenta, what are we going to do? She refuses to leave this store until she gets that doll._

_For our sake, let us hope not. If she really is attached to that thing, we'd be stuck here for hours._

Mom, I'm afraid so.

"Ayae!"

The heat caught up to me. I cursed my body for failing me now of all times in my life.

.

"… she just _fainted. _From _running. _In a _race._With _you?_"

"Are you trying to make a point?"

"Yeah, my stressed syllables were to convey my disbelief at everything wrong with that sentence. And you think the she-devil is out there to get her?"

"I never said that."

"But you implied it. And somehow, I won't be surprise to find that squirt's fainting is related to her. You _know _that vendetta she's got against us."

"No, she's not so rash that she would hurt anyone on sight."

"We are talking about the same person who has been trying to chop off my head ever since I stepped on her naginata _five years ago_, right? And been dying to chain you up and feed you to the lions since you were _born_, right? And held a general dislike of _everyone she has ever met_, right?"

"No need to abuse emphasis."

"Says Mr. Clan Heir here. You should be the one scared out of your pants. _Look_! Just look this! Squirt's a mess, you're a mess. Oh boy, I don't even wanna know what would happen when the she-devil sees this…"

"Shisui…"

"She'll unleash her Satanic powers that's what! You have got to be breaking at least twenty different clan rules as we speak!" Shisui said.

The sun beamed down my neck. I grumbled and flipped to my side, preferring the cool crunch of the damp grass.

"Great, squirt's coming around," Shisui said. "Well, I'm going off to town to buy a samurai sword and armor for the inevitable war."

A gust of wind later, the world fell into peace. The leaves were rustling, the birds chirping feverishly, and little paws clattering against the room tiles.

I cracked open my eyelids one at a time, stared at the blurry strands of grass. Yawning, I stretched out my limbs and sat upright, scratching my head. I did a back flip up. Bad idea. I felt my blood go to my head. Before I knew it, the earth was above, the clouds below. I tumbled back down.

"Mugast so dizzy… _oww._" When everything stopped moving again, I looked around. I was in a garden next to the inn, fenced in by traditional buildings.

A breeze came, and something landed on my nose, and my hair, and my shoulder. I stared in awe at the cloud of pink.

In Konoha, I've seen many trees blossom, but none were as beautiful. The petals were the color of peaches, and smelled sweet. I thought of crowded marketplaces, baskets of strawberries and oranges, bouquets of fuchsia and roses tossed into the air like confetti. Giggling, I reached my hand out into the sky and tried to pluck petals out of the air.

"You're awake."

I noticed Itachi and hugged him. "Itachi!" I had a billion things to tell him.

"Guess what? Guess what?" I excitedly asked. "I talked to _mom_! I haven't seen her in forever, but oh wow, she's so pretty. And she's so smart, too! She knows _everything_, about my home, my friends, my teachers… you too! She's been with me, this time in Konoha, and she's watched me dance and my dad at his work and at school and my competition and..." I stopped, as I watch something fly by my nose. "EEP!"

I jumped back like a cat, but landed clumsier than a chicken, my butt on the grass. A bee zigzagged into my personal bubble and back out again. Itachi smiled, when the bee buzzed back and forth past him. Then, the bee flew back to me, and I craned my neck away. I hated bees. They were oversized flies with a stinger, and I wanted it to leave us alone.

But the bee landed on a wildflower between us. It rested comfortably, defiantly sticking its stinger at me.

"Uhh… Um." I pointed to the beast and asked Itachi to make it go away.

Itachi raised an eyebrow and asked if I was serious. I nodded feverishly, and his hand swept in, the bee pried off the petal.

"Better?" he said, opening his palm and letting the bee zigzag away.

"No way, how did that thing not sting you?" I asked.

"I never touched it." He opened his palm out for me as proof.

"I _saw _you grab it!"

"I merely redirected its path of movement," he said. "There will be more. Do you want to go inside?"

I was about to say yes. But then, the wind blew and a flurry of cherry blossoms that rained on us.

Itachi noticed I was looking at the flowers. "Or we can stay outside. The sakura is not in full bloom yet, so we might as well enjoy it."

We were below a cloud of pink. I lied on the grass, reaching for the petals, while Itachi sat beside me. Before I knew it, we were covered in a blanket of petals.

"If you don't mind me asking," Itachi said, "what did your mother tell you?"

I blinked, and sat up. "Well, a lot of things!

"First off, my dad's been buying the wrong type of shampoo this time! She says it's strong and sleek, not daily moisture. Second, she told me that I've outgrown my dancing outfit, and that I need to get the one on display in the third district's shop because she's been staring at it for forever! Then, she went on about how I needed to be super nice to Auntie, because I haven't been thanking her enough.

"And, oh, she also told me to remember this recipe for my dad before he tries to blend fish sticks with gravy, because she's almost sure he's going to try it soon. One cup of sugar, two cups oil, three tablespoons of flour, four tablespoons of water, and five apples! Right, because she told me it was one, two, three, four, five to remember…"

I rambled on, going over every detail. The more I talked, the more I remembered the conversation. Mom adored my friends, approved of my dance teacher, _disapproved _of my grades, but agreed that Funeno was an insane teacher.

Itachi listened, while I went on, using a hundred different hand gestures. After the lecture about school was the talk on my dad, which was the longest part. Mom and I decided to work together to improve his fashion sense and cooking. When I got to the fish sticks again, I remembered something else.

"Oh yeah, and then, I told my mom about you and Shisui. I told her that Shisui was just like a monkey, a kinda _cheap _monkey, but he was an okay person.

"You know what she said? She told me that Shisui wasn't just _any _monkey, he was the monkey KING. She thought he was just like this Goku person she wrote about, and how he was the king of Flower Fruit Mountain. Sounds weird, I know. But she said that though he doesn't look it, he is more powerful than the GODS. I laughed, because Shisui's obviously isn't that powerful, but then she told me that when he runs that crazy fast speed of his, his feet glow with energy and forms a cloud! Just like the monkey king!

"And then, I told her about you. Your crazy Chuunin match, and your tea obsession, and your crazy fanclub. Mom went _nuts _when I mentioned the fanclubs. Did you know mom had her own? Before dad? They'd stalk her and stuff, and she had to kick them away, so she told me to warn you to be careful with yours.

"And… and… hmm…. She told me something else after that." I furrowed my eyebrows, and tried to remember. My mind was drawing a blank.

_Really bad later ON? Blue Hair ain't bad enough as it is?_

_Ha, that girl is rotten. Show her who's boss next time- Oh, we can't talk anymore, you're waking up, honey._

_What? Wait, I'm not done yet-_

_Listen, there's always next time. But before I go, about that boy, Itachi, there's something I need to tell you… I want you to…_

I want you to… what? I blinked, puzzled as to why I could not remember. I thought harder.

"Ayae?" Itachi said. "Your mother told you something?"

"Huh? Yeah, she told me there's something about _you_**… **that I should do… she wanted me to… to…"

My words dangled, unable to fill in the blank. The longer I paused, the more the expression on Itachi changed.

… _alright?_

_What? Mom, what do you mean? That makes no sense. I mean, Itachi wouldn't- Mom?_

_Mom?_

…_Great, squirt's coming around…_

_I don't understand…_

"Something that didn't make… sense…"

"Ayae, it is fine if you don't remember," he said, cautious.

"Eh? No, I can remember if I try. Hm, before you go, I want you to…" I repeated my mom's words.

Before the rest of the sentence could come to me, something else did. The flowers in the air split in half, and the earth cracked.

I yelped in surprise, and Itachi jumped to his feet. An _arrow _jutted in the exact spot Itachi was sitting. A voice drew me toward the roof.

"Be it _to kill him_?" I looked and looked. I caught a glimpse of a curved figure, sharp eyes, long hair, one arrow strung with the tip pointed at us. "What a wise mother you have."

She released the arrow, and the cherry blossoms burst in a flash of petals.

Itachi grabbed my wrist. "Tell me the rest another time," he said, and I found myself transported across the garden.

Itachi helped me dodge the arrows, and guided my steps. He held onto my wrist, I held onto his, and just like that, we were linked, his reflexes and intuition becoming my own. He pulled me out of the way, pushed me back, made me stop or break out into a run. The bow vibrated like a brilliant violin solo, and we were dancing to it.

The exhilaration was unimaginable. I could stare at the point of each arrow in the eye, and know where to move. The whole time, I felt like I was skipping in between raindrops, and when the rain stopped, I looked up to see the stranger had stood up, aiming one last arrow at us. A giant flame burned at the tip, and I watched in fascination.

Itachi made hand signs just as the flame landed by our feet. Gravity lifted, the ground beneath my feet scattered, and my stomach underwent cartwheels. Everything blurred, time snapped.

There was a deafening chain of explosions. I blocked my eyes against the bright light, tossed in so much confusion. All I knew was the ringing in my head and the heat that slammed against my back.

I would have toppled over if Itachi had not caught me and pulled me against the bark of the sakura tree.

"Ita-"

His hand went over my mouth, and he shook his head as a warning.

It was not long before my eyes swelled with tears and my lungs burned. The debris in the air was choking me.

But Itachi kept a firm grip, his hand sliding down to my jaw, his thumb the last to linger on my lips, before his fingers pressed against the side of my throat. When I was better, Itachi looked at me, relieved, and removed his hand. I surprised him when I snatched it, and laced our hands together again.

In the haze of smoke, we slid down to the ground and hid at the base of the tree.

During our silence, I looked at the garden, baffled. The garden was destroyed. Flames ravaged the bushes, sparks crackling so close to the tediously tended azaleas and orchids. Ashes fell instead of petals. The air tasted bitter instead of sweet. The smell of explosion powder hung like a drowsy fog.

The birds flew away. The squirrels left their homes. Even the bees were nowhere to be found. Were abandoned in the middle of a battlefield.

I heard the fluttering of silk. Footsteps land in the garden with us.

The stranger came closer, and my breath hitched higher with every step. I jumped when fire launched at the sakura tree, flames glazing past my cheek. My world was bright in red and blue.

"Itachi, you know hiding is futile," the stranger said, a breath away from the other side of the tree, a curved blade looming over us.

The blade came sweeping down, scraping a deep indent into the tree. We were gone.

A boy and girl dashed across the garden toward the gate. The stranger flashed in front of them.

The boy stopped her naginata with a kunai.

She looked at him. "Your little friend is slowing you down."

"I know."

Just as the naginata sliced through both kids, Itachi led me out of wrecked garden and out of sight.

We ran through gardens and cobblestone roads, the hot springs and teahouse. We passed a dojo, crossed a bridge, and made a beeline for the inn.

Itachi slid open the shoji backdoor, swung me inside, and closed it behind us. I tumbled in a big room with glossed floorboards, bamboo sitting mats, wall calligraphy, and a smell of pine. Itachi rattled open a second door that led us into a hallway. Two women, both clutching piles of towels, were startled. But they recognized Itachi and stepped aside.

Doors flew past us, as we zigzagged in a confusing maze of dens, living rooms, and dining room. Every room held doors to eight different halls, every hall led to eight more rooms, outside, or dead ends. I was so _dizzy _by the time Itachi led me inside a bedroom.

Rice paper, hanging lantern, walnut desk, bamboo floors, and a lone futon.

"Okay Itachi… you are going… to tell me… WHO that girl was… WHY she _killed _us… WHERE I am… and mostly importantly, WHAT you are hiding from me!" I gasped, falling into the futon and spreading myself out, nevermind that my shoes were still on.

"Is there an order of preference that you would like me to answer in as well?" Itachi asked, as he sat down in a meditation.

"Actually, yes." I said. "Who was that person?"

"What makes you assume I know who she is?" he asked.

I was not in the mood. "She said your _name_."

"Many people know my name."

"In Konoha, maybe. But _we aren't in Konoha,_" I said.

"Konoha is one of the strongest shinobi villages. The Uchiha clan is considered one of the strongest clans within that village. My father has one of the most respectable reputations within that clan. I already have the acknowledgments of thousands of people the day I was born as his son, and half a month ago, I might as well have written my name in the book of every high ranking shinobi. Words can travel as fast as the wind that carries it."

"The wind doesn't explain why the person tried to make cheese out of us!" I said, pulling my hair. "Unless you made her mad in one way or another, she would not want to _cremate _us!"

"Sins of the father are sins of the son. Likewise, vengeance can be hereditary. Have you ever met anyone who held a grudge over you?"

"Blue Hair."

"- that you yourself have not wronged back in any form."

Blue Hair, I thought. "Gin threw paper balls at me way back?" I said, deciding to go with this wild goose chase.

"Why?"

"You," I said, deadpanned, and then realized.

Shisui and Itachi ruined Gin's brother's chance of becoming a ninja. So, Gin hated my clan, which led to me being pelted with paper on my first day of school. "Ah, stupid Gin, because of you, I got such nasty marks on my student record!" I said, slamming the pillow down on the futon.

Then I sat cross-legged on the futon again, arms folded. I blew the duck feathers away from my face, along with a stray bang. "Fine, I get your point. You don't have to know a person to have that person know you. So you don't know who she is?"

A feather billowed down. When it fell in front of Itachi, he blew it away, his eyes still closed. Then, he smiled. "I never said that."

"…"

I grabbed the pillow and gave it a good stretch.

"…"

I lifted it.

"…"

I slammed it down on him. He dodged. I sprinted up and whacked it in the air, hitting anything that moved. Feathers blinded the room.

"ITACHI, NOT FUNNY! TELL ME WHO SHE IS!" I said. He chuckled, then caught my pillow and lowered it.

"Typically, she is addressed as Lady Tomoe. She is the heiress of this inn," he said.

"And how do you know her?"

"This inn akin to a secondary home for our clan. I have visited here many times in my childhood, on clan retreats, in between missions…"

"Wait, wait… she's a family _friend_? And some _innkeeper_, instead of some rogue ninja bent on bombing everyone to oblivion?"

Itachi stared at me. "Ayae, it is not wise to make assumptions or to be rash in jumping to conclusions. Lady Tomoe is well respected here, and although you got a wrong impression, she will not harm you unless you give her reason to."

My brows knitted together. "I thought innkeepers welcomed their guests with food and drinks, not arrows and FIRE. Why should I _respect _her?"

"Those were not targeted at you, and it was my fault for bringing you to my troubles. We had some… unresolved conflicts. But Ayae, it would be difficult for both of us if you upset her."

"You can't ask me to bow to the person that nearly put a hole in my face."

"I am asking you to simply show the same respect you would show to any of your seniors."

He could not be serious. "If you really want me to treat her like Shisui, I would be happy to," I said, digging my fingers into the pillow. "I don't bow to Shisui."

Itachi clutched the pillow tighter too. "Shisui is different. He finds the social norms trivial. But not everyone has his level of tolerance. We are not in Konoha, Ayae. Here, tradition is ingrained in every thought. As of now, Lady Tomoe is our host, and we are guests. She holds power over us in both rank and age, and she expects us to acknowledge such."

I felt indignant.

Itachi looked at me harder.

I let go of the pillow and sighed. It was days like these that I missed Gin, who would help me plot ways to get revenge, get us both tangled in a giant mess, and make me think why I did not just listen to Itachi.

"Fine," I said, "I'll be nice."

Itachi dropped the pillow back on the futon.

"But wait. Why on earth is an innkeeper doing archery, handling weapons, and performing jutsu like a ninja?" I asked.

"Archery to exterminate unwanted pests, weapons to defend from intruders, and ninjutsu to make sure this district is functioning… _perfectly._" A figure stood by the door of the room. "Any further questions?"

I was met with a gaze that pierced like a hawk.

I took a step back. The stranger on the roof, the innkeeper, was as beautiful as she was scary. She looked aristocratic, with arched brows, ebony hair, and a satin silver kimono. But her face looked made for battle, so sharp and emotionless. My eyes fell to her blood red hakama and the naginata on her back.

"Uh- u-um," I stammered.

"No," Itachi said.

The innkeeper looked at Itachi and lowered her eyelids. "Pardon, are you her husband, Itachi? If not, then you do not answer in her stead." Her eyes went back to me. "Well? Do you have any further questions?"

I gulped. "N-no."

The innkeeper was done with me. She turned to Itachi.

"Your illusions are disgustingly sloppy," she said, "to have dissipated so abruptly and leave a trail that allowed me to track you to this room. Two years of training with your father, serving as the Hokage's dog, learning from best ninja squads any country had to offer, and you've grown weak, squandering away your time with a girl."

Itachi took her insults. I could not. "Hey!" I snapped. "Who do you think you-!"

Itachi raised an arm to stop me from getting closer. The same time, a naginata hung in the air, ready to chop off his arm.

"I see you learned your father's nasty habits though. Unlike that pathetic district in Konoha, the Miyako district is matriarchal. You will do _nothing _to restrain the girl's freedom of speech." Her lips curled up, as she watched what Itachi would do.

Itachi lowered his arm. The innkeeper flipped her naginata and stowed it away.

"Pardon him. You were saying?" she asked me.

I glanced back and forth between the two. I felt as if I was some pawn in a game between them. Well, if I were to join the game, I had to play on the right side.

"I meant to ask for your name," I said.

"It is customary to introduce oneself first."

I winced, but kept up my act. "My name is Uchiha Ayae. I will be staying here at this inn." I gave a _very _stiff bow.

"Uchiha Tomoe," she said, "granddaughter of Uchiha Yoshitomo, heiress of the Miyako district, and hostess of this inn. I would like to establish this fact to my servants before they get ridiculous ideas that I am a powerless spokesperson for my father, who, I would shamelessly say, is dead."

I was in shock. She was my _cousin_?

"What do you mean, _to my servants_?" Itachi asked, cautious.

Tomoe grinned. "Ten elders, twenty-seven men, three adolescents, one boy. What would have been over six point four million ryou, I have reduced to zero, because we of one clan. However, Uchiha Kenta, and his daughter, Uchiha Ayae, are housed here under special circumstances. Only because Lady Mikoto, your mother, requested them here that I allowed for their stay. But unless they hand me seven thousand ryou per day, I'm afraid they will have to work for their board."

_Work?_

Itachi lost his calm, pulling me behind him. "What are you playing at, Tomoe," he said. "Ayae and her father are both part of the Uchiha clan."

Defiance. Tomoe loved it. "_Lady _Tomoe," she said, leaning toward him. "And you will _never _be allowed to feign ignorance, Itachi. Anyone can carry the Uchiha name. The defected, the disgraced, the banned. Our ancestry is full of them, but I have researched already into little Ayae's. You may carry the purest Uchiha blood, but she has _barely a drop_."

"Nonsense. Her great-grandfather was Uchiha Wataru," Itachi said, fists clenched. He wanted the topic _dropped._

She took no threats from him. "Of course," she said. "Married to Uchiha Rumi, and eventual father of Uchiha Hisoka. Yet, Hisoka never had a son. Of course, you have already known that. Because you've studied our clan inside and out. Because you've analyzed and reanalyzed our heritage tree countless times. Because you are Uchiha Mikoto's son, and you've acquired information the men of our clan would never take a second glance at."

"Enough," Itachi said, unable to hold his gaze.

I stared at him, wondering what was going on.

Tomoe tilted her head, letting locks of hair fall down. "She doesn't know, does she?" she asked him. When Itachi was silent, she looked at him with a cruel gleam in her eyes.

She turned to me. "One can always benefit from a little _history_," she said. "Hisoka married Okawa Nagataka, shaming the Uchiha name. They accepted their exile from Fire. Wataru then hoped to redeem himself by giving his illegitimate son, little Botan, the Uchiha name. Despite having the mother of a commoner, Botan was quite the scholar, and Wataru hoped he would save his face. Unfortunately for him, Uchiha Botan fell in love with a poor goze from the Fire Capital, and happily took his leave from Konoha."

"Uchiha Botan? Oh! _Grandpapa _Bobo!" I snapped my fingers, remembering once seeing a photograph of him in my dad's album. He was a jolly man with a warm smile on his face, a big round belly, and a string of beads around his neck. Next to him was a pretty woman, though old, with light eyes and a beautifully crafted shamisen on her lap. I always thought she had green eyes for some reason, even though the photo had no color.

"Wait, grandpapa Bobo, a _scholar_?" I asked, excited by the new information about my family. "But dad told me that grandpapa was just a wandering poet, and grandma was his muse." It was one of my dad's '_How I picked up your hot mom_' stories. He had convinced my mom to go on a date with him if he would show her some of grandpapa's unpublished works. Mom had been a fan.

When I looked up, I bit my lips. Something told me I should not have said anything.

Tomoe looked pleased. Itachi could not look at either of us in the eyes.

"Yes, Uchiha Botan is your grandfather, Uchiha Kenta is your father, and you, Uchiha Ayae, are a girl who returned to Konoha bearing only a title. But the clan assumed you are a descendant of Hisoka, who married into a prestigious shinobi clan outside of Konoha. It was the women of this family who rewrote the lineage to grant Hisoka his peaceful life, it was the women of this family who carried the true history to their daughters, and is it the women today who allowed you and your father to reside in the Konoha district. Your grandfather gave your father the last connections to our clan, and learning your family was in need, we lied. The men believe you are Uchiha by blood, and Lady Mikoto wanted it that way. The rest of the women will respect her wishes."

"Aunt Mikoto? What, why?" I asked, confused. It was as if a billion secrets were whispered into my ear at once, and I was still too shocked over one to even hear the rest.

"She wanted a girl who was young, carefree, and innocent. She wanted a daughter."

"Tomoe, that is _enough_."

I jumped. Itachi was still, his hands were balled so tight, he could draw blood. His eyes were spinning red.

Tomoe had a grin that spread like ivy vines. Then, she was a hair away, her naginata curved around his neck.

"Please Itachi, _Lady _Tomoe," she said. "Why so upset? Scared that I would divulge such information to the rest of the clan? Or scared that the girl would not ask, 'Aunt Mikoto, why?' but 'Itachi, why?' Why didn't Itachi, the perfect little darling, ever say anything to his father, knowing full well she was brought into the clan to-"

A kunai slashed through the air. Tomoe spun away. She flipped her hair back, each strand flowing down like silk, and walked back toward the screen door.

"No fighting indoors," she said. "You must be inheriting your father's awful temper. Control it quickly, or else it will be too easy to make a fool out of you."

Itachi said nothing, his eyes back to normal, his hand still clutching the kunai.

I watched him with worry, until the Tomoe drew me back to her. "As for you, little Ayae, you will be given full privileges of any guest, as long as you earn your keep. Begin by cleaning up this room you so kindly littered with feathers. Then the hallways. The maids labored to keep them spotless, and you spoiled all their efforts. I expect not a single grain of dirt by morning."

My eyes went wide. Okay, my dad did not have thousands of ryou. Okay, I agreed that we had to earn our keep. Okay, this was the lousiest vacation I had _ever_been on, but _leave it to my clan _to plan wonderful ones, and I could work but…

I crossed _how many _hallways_?_

"Oh, and Itachi, I am sure Uncle Fugaku would be _delighted _to find his son scrubbing floors. For the sake of both of you, don't assist her. Now excuse me, I have a match to watch. Please enjoy your stay here at Miyako."

With a smile, she closed the door behind her.

I turned to Itachi. "Alright, look-"

"I will fix this," Itachi said, making his way to the door.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I am going to make a plea to my mother. You _will _be treated well during your stay."

"Itachi, it's-"

"Not fine." He shied away from me and slipped past.

As he walked away, I noticed the red scrape by a naginata blade on his face.

"Wait, Itachi-!"

The door closed.

"- you're bleeding," I said, alone.

Then I exploded, jumping onto the futon and slamming the pillow over my head. I could not even spend half a day with Itachi before some innkeeper had to slip poison between us.

I looked around the feathered room, then at a wall scroll.

_Determination, discipline, discretion, discernment, dignity._

A feather landed on me, and I turned it between my index and thumb. I frowned.

No. After two years, Itachi and I were talking again. If a bit of work was all that stood between us, then that was not so bad.

I grabbed the pillow. Then, I picked up the feathers one by one.

_Determination, discipline, discretion, discernment, dignity. The five paths of a true kunoichi._

_._

I rolled up the sleeves of my uniform, a yellow shirt with dark pants, and knotted my bandana. I grinned at myself in the mirror and spun around. I was proud to work. It was something only adults did.

Cleaning up the feathers was a pain, but I got it done. Wiping floors could not be much worse.

I opened the closet door and saw an army of marching maids. I slammed the door close. Maybe not.

I stared into the mirror and slapped myself.

"Ow!"

I slapped myself again until the stranger in the mirror was gone. Patting my cheeks, I straightened up. I was not that coward.

The door opened, and I squeaked, whipping around to see a girl towering over me. She had hair curled up in a messy bun, fair skin, and auburn eyes that burned holes. Her uniform was the same as mine, sleeves rolled up, bandana tilted at an angle to match her skewed bangs.

"Here you are," she growled in a raspy accent. She grabbed me by the collar and yanked me out of the closet.

"Hey-"

She dragged me across the halls, cutting through the maids and trampling everything in her way. We cut through an outside hall. In the gardens were women dressed in spring kimono, paper parasols in hand. They were my aunts, who disappeared from the district around the same time Aunt Mikoto did.

The girl pulled me away from view, and shoved me in front of a giant wooden bucket with brown water. She slapped a wet cloth on my face.

"Name's Otoha. The ma'am sent me to supervise your work, and _if you play hide 'n seek with me again, I'm gunna dunk your head into the water barrels_."

For someone with such a pretty name, this Otoha person was harsh. I gulped.

"We're gunna practice here till you get it right."

"Um, okay-"

Clueless, I looked at her, who was impatiently waiting, then at the bucket. The water looked disgusting. I dabbed the end of the cloth in the water, staining a corner.

I heard an exasperated sigh. "Hurry up."

Cringing, I dunked the cloth into the bucket. My hands were in the icky water, and I pulled out the dripping cloth. How this would make the floors _cleaner,_and not _dirtier_, I did not know.

I was about to drop the cloth and scrub when my supervisor growled. "_What _are you doing?"

"Um, well, I was err-"

My supervisor took the cloth from me, twisted it above the bucket, and tossed it back at me. "It's too wet," she snapped. "That much water'll soak into the wood and ruin it."

"Oh."

I pretended to understand and dragged the cloth along the floor. I tried my best, but when my supervisor scoffed, I turned around and asked, "Am I doing something wrong?"

My supervisor, shaking her head, took the cloth.

"Pay attention. I'm only gunna demonstrate once," she grunted, putting a hand on my shoulder.

She sprinted down the hallway, both hands dragging the cloth across the floor. Once she was the end of the hall, she twisted her body into the air. Both her feet touched the wall, pushing her back in my direction.

Whipping past me, she let her feet leave the floor again, sliding forward with the cloth under her hands. She somersaulted herself back on her toes. The towel was scrubbed twice, wrung, and left to hang by the rim of the bucket.

Wiping her hands together, she looked at me with drab interest. "Well, what you still dally for. Go." She sat against a wall, one leg crossed over her other knee.

Once I got over my shock, I grinned. I could learn some things here.

Taking a cloth, I soaked it, wrung it twice, and charged forward. When I reached the end of the hall, I looked back. That was not so bad.

My smile died when I saw my supervisor's scowl. She nodded toward the trail she made. Hers was a straight and gleaming trail. Mine looked sloppy, zigzagged and broken.

"Again," she barked.

When I walked back, I noticed a nice smell through the hall. I brought my hands for a sniff and realized it was tea, mixed with crushed pine leaves. The water was not dirty, after all.

"Yes, stupid head, that's tea. It removes dirt and improves the condition of the wood, but only if done right. Now, go _straight _this time."

"I have a name, you know," I said.

She sneered. "Go straight, and maybe I'll consider."

I huffed. I dunked the cloth, wrung it, and redid my lap, slower.

When I reached the wall, I looked back at my work and hit myself. Still crooked. On my next try, I went even slower. I used the panels of wood to guide me. By my fifth try, I jumped at my trail. It was a line.

"Took you long enough, stupid head."

"Hey-!"

"Now, _Ayae_, put more force into it_. _You're barely glazing the cloth over the floor."

"How did you know-"

"_Go_."

Pouting, I did and pushed the cloth harder into the floor, shooting forward.

"Again."

I did.

"Again."

Gritting my teeth, I did.

"_Again_."

"I am!" I said, digging the towel hard into the floor. I was skewing at an angle again.

My supervisor scoffed, before closing her eyes.

"You're not even looking!"

"I can tell by _hearing_, stupid head."

"Then what do you _hear _that's wrong?" I snapped, ready to toss the cloth and stomp away.

"Figure it out. _Again_."

Glaring, I tightened my grip. I did the same lap fifty times until I was out of breath, red in the face, and frustrated. I went over the same floor boards enough time to have scrubbed off the top layer of wood. And yet, my supervisor did not change in her instructions. Instead, she took out a book and _read_, her eyes never even leaving the page.

"Again," she said.

"It's _clean!_" I said. I could barely stand, on the brink of falling flat on my face. I could even hear the rush of blood at my ears. The exercise was not like running. Dashing back and forth was fine. But I also used muscle, which burned me like a lit fuse.

"Until you get it right, it's not," my supervisor said, flipping a page of the book. "Clean, by the ma'am's standards, means not a speck of dirt."

"Find one!" I said.

My supervisor slammed shut her book. She trudged to my side, and without hesitating, flicked a grain of sand at my forehead. "Fifty runs and I can still find this. Pathetic."

"That's just one!" I said. Before I could say more, she flicked another grain.

"That's two out of the millions. Now _work._"

Miserable, I threw the cloth on the ground and readied to do another lap when I froze up. Wincing, I touched my shoulder. It was cramping and burning. Soon, the rest of my body was the same.

After ten more laps, I stopped, breathing hard.

While I was confused, wondering what was wrong with myself, my supervisor sneered behind her book. "So your body's smarter than you."

"W-what?" I asked, beads of sweat rolling down my neck.

"Pain's the best mentor. Again."

Squeezing out of the last of my energy, I began to start another lap when slivers of shock crawled up my spine. Holding back a gasp, I fell to my knees and closed my eyes. My world was spiraling and blurring. I did not feel so well, the smell of tea and pines muddling my senses.

Something was wrong. The air was heavy. And even though I was tired many times before, my chest never _ached_ and made me want to throw up.

"Stop slacking."

I squeezed shut my eyes. I forced myself awake, but when I lifted a hand, my body hurt more.

My hands left the towel. I sat on my legs, slouched.

"I want a break," I said.

A pause.

Pages stopped flipping. My supervisor looked at me.

"What did you say?" she asked.

Swallowing, I repeated, "I want a break. I'm tired. Please?" I had been doing this nonstop for hours.

Closing her book, my supervisor tapped it against her palm several times, pondering it over. The act gave me more hope than it should.

"_Sure _little Ayae can have her break," she said slowly, emphasizing each word as if she was talking to a toddler, "_after _she clean them eighteen halls she dirtied." She threw a clean cloth on my face. "Now _work_."

I got mad. A burst of energy came back, as I stood up.

This girl was just as bad as the innkeeper. I listened, I did everything I was told, and now, I was hurt. And I could not ask for a small _break_?

"No," I said. "I _want a break_."

My supervisor pocketed her book and walked over to me.

"One thing I'll never understand," she said, "is why the ma'am even bothered with you. _Get up_."

"What are you-"

Before I could finish, she yanked me up by my shirt.

"Listen, and listen good," she said. "You are currently in the house of Lady Tomoe, and you _will _follow her rules. That means no so-called _breaks_, no slacking, no talking back, and _absolutely _no pathetic little brats. So I suggest you stop acting like one."

Without thinking, I kicked.

My supervisor backed away.

I had enough. I was alone without my family and friends, and I could not handle this girl, these tasks, this cold and mean place.

Out of spite, I bent down and grabbed the handle to the wooden bucket. To her shock, I toppled the giant bucket over. I hoped her book would crumple and _soak_.

Water crashed out, waves flooding the hallway. My supervisor braced herself as the murky water drenched her from head to toe.

Meanwhile, I clutched the emptied bucket, feeling the ripples at my toes.

My supervisor stomped toward me, her feet splashing in the film of water. "YOU MORON-"

Out of fury, I smacked the bucket down on her. There was a heavy thud, and vibrations crawled up my arms.

"I. Am. NOT. STUPID!" I screamed, throwing the bucket. "AND I AM NOT YOUR SLAVE.

"I AM A TEN YEAR OLD GIRL WHO'S BEEN DOING YOUR DAMN WORK WHILE YOU LAZE AROUND.

"I AM A KID WHO'S HURT BUT YOU KEEP YELLING AND YELLING AND YELLING AND YOU JUST WON'T _STOP_."

I broke down, falling down onto the flooded hallway, sobbing. "I want to go home. I won't come back even if you forced me. I want to _leave_."

The wooden bucket rolled on the floor.

My supervisor held her bruised forehead. Her bandana had fallen off and her hair was dripping with tea. Her uniform clung to her body like glue. She was _soaked _and she was _steaming_.

"You useless piece of _shit_." She was half way up, when a hand pushed on her shoulder and forced her back down. She bit back a cry. Her shoulder was scorched, her uniform burning at ends. The skin was red, with spots of bright white.

"You're right, Otoha. You are more useless to me than I thought."

Blood red robes appeared in the halls.

"M-ma'am! I apolo-"

"Enough," Tomoe said. She looked at hall flooded halls. "I would have ignored racket in this hallway, but now I'm glad I did not. Who. Did. This."

My breath hitched when her eyes landed on me. I leaned back, ready run away. But there was a wall behind me.

Meanwhile, Tomoe stepped toward, without a single ripple or splash in the water. In fact, the water parted to leave a trail the dry boards, as if it was scared of touching her.

"I do not repeat myself," she said, the air dangerous.

"I-I did. I-I-I'm sor-"

"Do you have anything else to say for yourself?"

I cringed.

Otoha was grinding her teeth. She wanted to say something. But then, her name was called, and she looked up in time to catch Tomoe's naginata.

"This is a mess," Tomoe said, tying her hair in a ribbon. "Of course, _both _of you will clean it up and pay for the repairs later, but now little Ayae will face her punishment."

Otoha nearly dropped the naginata, her eyes widening. "Ma'am," she croaked, "a-are you…?"

"It won't take long," Tomoe said, before turning to me. "Rule for disobedience: if you resist orders, you challenge my authority. If you challenge my authority, you _fight _me."

At this, Otoha stood up, clutching her arm. "Ma'am wait. Let me fight her instead. Ayae was my responsibility."

Tomoe did not spare her a glance. "No."

The word was a death sentence. I was afraid and tried to run away. Instantly, I felt a hit to my arm. The next thing I knew, I was flipped in the air and thrust back down.

I braced myself and squeezed shut my eyes.

My back made impact, but not with wood.

A film of water hovered above the floorboards, knitting together into a net to cushion my fall. But the force was too strong. The water took so much stress before I broke through and slammed into the floor. I cried out, both my body and voice shaking. But the water flowed around me and glided around my cheek.

When I opened my eyes, water was swirling around me, guarding me like a protective animal.

Tomoe did not move. "I thought I left you for dead."

"Get away from her."

"Hm, I don't recall you having the authority to command me to do anything."

Tomoe made a mistake of ignoring the warning. The second she took another step forward, spikes of water shot out from the ground, piercing through her body and suspending her in place.

"How ill-mannered," she mused, lifting a hand to see the gaping hole in her palm. Then, her body flickered away and disappeared. Otoha watched the naginata in her hands dissipate.

The spears of water lost shape and crashed down, while a wooden disk fell and clattered on the floor.

I was speechless, and turned to see Itachi breathing heavily at the end of the hall. His hands left the snake seal, and dropping his arm, he limped toward me. He looked like he escaped a battlefield.

"I-Itachi? W-what-" Without thinking, I tried to pick myself up but found myself collapsing back down.

"Ayae, what happened to you?" Itachi asked when he was close enough to teleport to my side, giving me a hand to support me upright.

"What happened to _me_?" I said, shaking. "What happened to _you_?" I lifted his arm and saw the burns. They were worse than Otoha's, enough to make me sick. I felt something sticky and turned his hand. "You're bleeding!"

Itachi clenched his hand close and retracted it away.

"You need a doctor," I said, trying to get up again. "You're losing blood."

I fell back down.

"And you are losing chakra," Itachi said, tracing two fingers down my spine.

"Chakra?" I repeated. I had not tried ninjutsu for months, not since my transformation flopped in February. Funeno eventually pushed our lessons back, saying we'll return to them after finals. How Gin managed to do substitutions already was beyond me.

"It's a miracle you can still sit," Itachi muttered, placing a hand on my back.

I nearly jumped when I felt something cool surging through me, but Itachi held me in place.

"Don't move. I'm transferring some of my chakra to you."

My vision blurred again. But then, I felt the pain dimmed, as a cool feeling spread to my hands and my toes. When the cool reached my head, I felt like I was splashed by a bucket of ice water. My senses became clear. The floors came into focus. I smelled the tea and heard the dripping water in the hallway.

I was wet and _freezing_, but my arms were _burning_. I was so hungry I could eat cardboard.

I got to work. Before Itachi could say anything, I snatched his wounded hand and began wrapping my bandana around it.

"Ayae-"

"Last time I checked, I could not do a blood transferring jutsu."

"Healing."

"Kunoichi seminar," I mumbled. "I only know basic first aid. I get queasy at blood, so I never signed up for the lesson on cuts and burns…"

I did not sign up because the class reminded me too much of Itachi. When the class had gotten the notice, my friends jumped at the chance. Tamaki wanted to impress the guys, Setsu and Dai wanted to save themselves from pain, Ayame thought it'd be nice to help others, and Hana decided it was an easy A. Even a lot of guys had joined because they got to see grotesque pictures of scabs.

But I thought of Aunt Mikoto's house. I thought of a book pressed against my face while fabric was wrung again and again. I thought of Auntie trying to wash out the dried blood, and the smell of alcohol. Then the hospital. Then the person lying on the bed in that hospital.

When I finished knotting, I saw the blood was not leaking through the cloth. Hopefully, that meant I did it right.

Itachi examined his hand. "You've grown."

"It feels like the opposite," I said. I looked down at the water soaking into the floor, then at the toppled bucket, then Otoha treating, and the wooden disk that rested in in the place of Tomoe. It was a candleholder floating on top of the water, a flame still burning the little wax left. "You've gotten stronger though."

Itachi looked at the candleholder. Then he closed his eyes. "Feels like the opposite indeed."

When Itachi gave me all the chakra he could spare, I felt better. We helped each other up. There was something wrong with his leg, but Itachi refused to let me see it.

Finding help was my top priority now.

We passed Otoha, and I paused.

"The ma'am ain't gone," Otoha said. "We _will_pay for this, one way or another."

"I know," I said. "I'm sor-"

"Don't wanna hear it."

I quieted, and then guiltily looked at the bump on her head.

"You should come with us," Itachi said. "You're suffering from Lady Tomoe's fire palm technique, and it's wise to get it treated before the burn spreads."

She looked at him. Her frown deepened when she saw similar wounds across his body. "Personal experience? But I'm afraid I'll have to decline that offer, Master Itachi," she said. "You know the rules. No intermingling with guests."

"Are you Ayae's supervisor?"

"Aye."

"Then wouldn't it be against your orders to leave your subordinate alone?" Itachi said, before he glanced toward me.

Otoha cursed. She picked up her lost bandana and gave it a good squeeze, before slapping the wet cloth over her shoulder. "Fine."

When we reached the end of the hall, Itachi performed a few hand signs, and the water began to stir. But then, I felt him faltering, and held him tighter so he would not fall. The water went flat.

"Don't bother. You gave the last of your chakra to her," Otoha said, before adding "Idiot" under her breath.

So all three of us were surprised when the water sprung to life, whizzing through the air like a whip, cart wheeling a few times before turning the bucket upright and plopping back in.

Then a tin can came charging toward us with a giant sword.

"WHERE BE THE DEVIL? Shisui the great - warrior, samurai, protector, and raw awesomeness is here!"

For dramatic effect, the fat sword swung the air and he gave many poses. Had we not been indoors, I would have heard a crow. After the extended silence, Shisui removed his samurai helmet and blinked at us.

Itachi looked like he was in hell. I looked like I was in hell. Otoha looked like she was in hell. And all of us were not amused.

"What's wrong with you guys?" he asked.

"Fight."

"Work."

"Supervision."

Then, we walked away. But not before Itachi slammed the helmet back down on Shisui's head, I pounded on said helmet, and Otoha lifted the helmet, gave his face a slap, and capped it back down.

"Ow, OW, and what did I do to deserve the last one?" asked the baffled tin can.

"Orders," Otoha replied nonchalantly. "The ma'am hates you."

With that, we trudged on, the tin can rushing to catch up with us.


	16. Miyako Arc, Part II: Contract

Sunlight beamed down.

A ceiling came into focus. Last time I checked, my room had no roof. I looked around.

"GAH!" I jumped when I saw a suit of samurai armor piled in the corner.

I turned the other way. I blinked when I saw Itachi sleeping next to me. He looked pale. I caught sight of bandages on his neck and shoulder.

My heart thumping, I reached for the futon cover.

The door slid open.

"GAH!" Startled, I fell out of the futon. I crashed into the samurai, the helmet landing on my lap. I threw the helmet, shrieking.

"You sure make a lotta noise when you wake up."

"Otoha!"

"How about a ma'am here?" she growled. There were antennas in her hair, and shadows under her eyes.

"Sorry Oto- ma'am!"

Rolling her eyes, she opened the shoji wider. "Come in, brat."

I crawled into the other room. The room so cluttered it broke the laws of physics. I pushed my way through the mountains of stuff: baskets, golden roosters, drums, bicycle wheels, electric fans, and statues of naked ladies. I could not see the floor. In fact, I stepped on something furry and it _moved._I hopped back and forth.

In the middle of the room was a table. On the table was a basket of biscuits and stack of jam jars. Shisui was there, scraping the bottom of a jar.

He saw me. "Look who's alive!"

I blinked and clapped both hands over my eyes.

"CLOTHES!" I said, whipping around.

Otoha slapped a shirt and pair of pants on his face. "You can't be naked here, you brute."

"But _you_ are."

Otoha had on worker's pants, but only bandages around her chest. "So? I'm a girl."

"What excuse is that? Girls are supposed to be _more _modest."

"Do I look like I'm nobility?" Otoha snorted. "Plus the rules of the house say that the _males _must appear respectable in front of female company at all times. I know nothing about the vise-versa."

"That's unfair!"

"Don't like the rules, take it up with the ma'am."

"Lady Tomoe is unfair!"

"Oh no, she is _very _fair. Toward the girls, that is. It's called matriarchy."

"That's-"

Otoha held up her palm. "Don't like matriarchy, go back to patriarchy. Heard Konoha's weather is even hotter."

I peeked over my shoulder. "What's patriarchy?" I asked. "Err, and what's matriarchy?"

"Good question! Patriarchy," Shisui said, clapping his hands together, "is when men can eat, drink, and be merry without fear of getting their heads chopped off!"

"Patriarchy," Otoha sighed. "When women slave to keep order while short-sighted men pursue idiotic quests of pillage and self-indulgence."

"Patriarchy: freedom of expression, love, and the pursuit of happiness!"

"Patriarchy: oppression, aggression, and ignorance."

"Patriarchy: good functioning societies that exercise strength and power."

"Patriarchy: through testosterone-induced _war _and _conquest."_

"Patriarchy: paradise!"

"For _men_."

I regretted asking. Not only did they not answer me, they used MORE big words.

"Oh yeah, what's this matriarchy then?" Shisui asked. "Wonderful place we have here… _locked up in a room _because if we step one foot outside, we're _dead_."

"At least we earned the _right_," Otoha snapped back. "Unlike your Konoha, where you can get the death penalty without substantiated proof. Matriarchy: _ordered _and _just_."

"For _women_."

"Matriarchy: societies progress through accumulated wealth and knowledge."

"Matriarchy: by economically, scientifically, and culturally _destroying _competing societies_._"

"Matriarchy: sense with sensibility."

"Matriarchy: pride and prejudice."

"Matriarchy. When women are valued for their intelligence, skills, and ideals, not for their appearance or submissiveness."

"Matriarchy," Shisui sighed. "When men feel neutered."

I scratched my head. "I still don't get it." Then as an afterthought, "What's neutered?"

This caused both sides to fall back.

"Forget it," Otoha growled. "The pants are a must."

Shisui took the pants and put them on. "Well the overall aesthetics of this room just dropped," he said.

"What aesthetics?" Otoha scoffed. "Scrawny boys or rubber duckie prints?"

"First, this here-" Shisui pointed to himself. "-is the epitome of hotness. And second, c'mon, rubber ducks are cute. They were even on sale."

"So you're tasteless _and _cheap."

While they had gone on about boxer fashions, I took a cushion. Hungry, I took one of the jars on the table. I battled the lid, going blue in the face trying to open it. I shook it, banged it, and gnawed on it with my teeth, but it would not open. Exasperated, Otoha unscrewed it open for me. I took a sniff of the inside. Trying to not puke, I pushed the jar away.

"That's so nasty!" I said, making a face.

"If you don't like cherry, there's also lemon jam, grape jam, or… what fruit is brown?" Shisui asked, peeking into a brown jar.

"Wasn't that one peanuts?" Otoha said.

"Really? I'm thinking peach. The colors change after a while."

"How long you've had these jams?"

"This is my emergency stash back when I was ten," Shisui said. "I made sure that I can survive on jam and biscuits when the apocalypse comes. That, or the day Lady Tomoe gets _really _pissed."

Giving up on the jams, I bit into a biscuit. My jaw vibrated.

"Is there _anything _I can eat?" I said, throwing the biscuit.

I never did have good aim. The biscuit smashed into a straw basket, which toppled over the pipes, which crashed down, which released the support for the golden rooster, which locked the bicycle in place, which broke off the head of a naked lady, which fell into the other giant mountains and burying us under twenty tons of junk.

I peeked open an eye. We had teleported to the top of an inflated mattress.

"NOW you've done it!" Otoha face palmed.

"Sorry!" I squeaked. When my stomach growled, I looked at them sheepishly. "Is there any food?"

"The jars were all I had," Shisui said, plopping his cheek up with a fist.

"Shisui, those jars are disgusting," I said.

"Well, if they are below your standards, highness, you are welcome to fetch more food out _there_." Shisui pointed to the door. "Lady Tomoe waits."

I gulped.

"Can you go?" I asked.

"_Me_? _You _go. This _is _your fault!"

"What!"

"Because _you _threw your temper tantrum, you got everyone involved. Because of _you_, we're running out of chakra, food, water, and… and… _air_!"

I was taken aback. "Air? _Who _bought all this junk?" I said. "And I'm not stealing anyone's chakra, food, or water!"

"Sure you're not stealing; we're _giving _it to you. What have _you _done so far?"

"Um…"

"That's right. All you did was get hit by Lady Tomoe's poison and took a nap."

"_Poison_?"

"We got a doctor in and got it out of your system before it laid any jumperworm eggs in your stomach- I'm _kidding_."

"_Not funny._"

"I thought your face was," Otoha said.

I glared.

"When did I get poisoned? _How_!" I asked.

"Did you ever get scratched by anything? Any arrows or…" Shisui asked.

I frowned. I looked at my arms and legs. I got scratched plenty of times on my way to the inn, in the forest.

"The woods near bridge?" Shisui asked.

"Yeah. The one that was filled with-"

"Lady Tomoe's booby traps," he said, massaging his temples. "You are such a liability. You cannot work. You cannot take care of your own health. You cannot even get your own food and water, all on top of an abrasive, volatile personality that would surely get you in trouble. I did not think there was a responsibility Itachi could not handle, but congratulations, you're clearly it."

I was hurt. "Hey, I just tried my best to do what everyone told me to. It's not _my _fault we're like this."

"Then whose fault is it?"

I could not believe Shisui blamed me! "Whose fault?" I asked. "Who are you hiding from in this room? Who did Itachi fight? Who burned Otoha? _Who poisoned me_? Why are you staring at me when it's obvious that innkeeper did this!"

Shisui snorted. "Who is to be blamed: the person that pushes everyone into the fire, or the fire itself?"

"Are you giving me philosophical crap?"

"It's logic."

"Fine! Then answer _my _logic. Whose fault is it: the person that jumps into the fire, or the fire itself?"

"I can't believe you're trying to put the blame on _us_."

"I'm just saying I'm not guilty!"

"You ungrateful little-"

"You horrible-"

"WILL THE BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" Otoha boomed, pounding a frying pan into the mattress. "You both acting like immature little brats. If you ain't got anything worthy to say, like _a plan to stay alive_, then don't say anything!"

We all stopped talking.

Otoha took out her crumpled book to read. Shisui and I had our backs to each other.

I curled myself up in a ball. I _never _had a fight with Shisui before. It made me feel horrible.

Finally, I turned to Otoha. "Why did Tomoe poison me?" I asked her. "Why would she do that?"

"Lady Tomoe is a huntress. She traps animals in the woods as a hobby. You probably got scratched by one of the poisons that leech chakra. It's enough to paralyze a rabbit, but for a human, it won't do anything more than tire you out and make you nettlesome."

"So it was all an accident? Lady Tomoe didn't mean to do it? "

Otoha returned to her book. "Who knows? But she doesn't hurt anyone unless they give her reason to."

I stared at the mattress. Then I looked at the shoji door to Itachi's room, the door to the hallways, and the mattress again. Making up my mind, I jumped off the mattress and climbed down the mountain.

I hopped onto the footstool, sliding and banging my knee on the electric fan, and then crawled down on all fours. I swung on a shower curtain, and landed on the roll of rugs. Only to tumble down the rest of the way and slam into the wall.

Otoha peaked down. "What. Are you doing. The chakra barrier doesn't extend that far."

"I'm going to get food!"

"Have you lost your mind? The ma'am is out there and she wants you _dead_."

"I'm not scared of Tomoe!" I lied.

"Then why are you shaking?" Shisui mocked.

I ignored him. Crossing my arms, I mumbled, "And if I do see Tomoe, I'll apologize. I have to set everything straight."

"You _idiot_," Otoha said. "Lady Tomoe _isn't _gunna forgive you after what happened, so get your ass back there."

"I have to at least _try_!" I yelled.

"Stop going so soft, birdie," Shisui whistled. "Ayae won't pull through with this."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Trust me, she ain't."

Huffing, I slid the door open. "Watch me."

I took one step…

…before my face was buried in paper bags.

"Wherecha going, squirt?"

I froze. Shisui's head popped up over the grocery bags.

"Shi…sui…?" Was he not on... the mattress?

"Yup, who else-" Shisui looked at his look-alike on top of the mattress. The look-alike waved back.

"Shishi darling! You're back!" the look-alike said in a higher, squeaker, _girly _voice

"Hey, what are you doing here Michio?" Shisui said, dropping the bags on the floor.

In a puff of smoke, the fake Shisui was replaced by someone smaller. He ruffled his white, messy hair, laughing. "Nath'n," he said, now in a boyish voice, showing a row of crooked teeth, one missing. "Just hab'n fun with cousin Ayae!"

"_What_?" I demanded.

He turned to me with a catty grin. "Ya, it called 'Can Ayae see Michio.' Ayae no good at games, no good at all."

He stood up. He was dressed strangely, in a grey tank and low cut shorts, bandages around his forehead, and brass bracelets around his ankle.

"No wonder she cannot survive Miyako," he sighed, his voice dropping.

He teleported to my side, and I caught a better look at his face. His eyes were black, and he had thick eyebrows, a soft cheek, plump lips, and low jaw. The more I stared at his face, the more he looked like a girl.

But before I could think it over, he _kissed _me.

Pulling away, he _giggled_.

"Sorry I didn't introduce myself," he apologized, now suave. "I'm Michio, and Aunt Miko was right; you're absolutely _precious."_

What was that supposed to mean? Why did he kiss me again? Why was my face turning red?

"Can I ask you a question, Ayae?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Y-yeah?"

"Will you be my girlfriend?" He smiled, fingers curled to form a heart.

.

"Owie…" Michio whined, rubbing his bruised jaw. "Does this mean you want to be my boyfriend instead?"

My eye twitched, a vein throbbing in my fist. I wiped the kiss off my cheek, and then turned to the _real _Shisui. I pointed at the boygirl. "WHAT IS THIS THING?"

"Waah, that's not nice, honey doll," Michio pouted.

"Michi's just playing around," Shisui laughed, patting my head. "Glad you're awake, squirt. How's your head feeling-"

Michio pushed me away. Standing on tiptoes,he stared at Shisui with furrowed eyebrows. "Shishi darling, why you ask her but not me? I haven't seen you in _eons_."

"Eh, actually, it was three months ago that-"

"Shishi darling doesn't miss me! He no ask question, he no care 'bout Michio, he no lub Michio n'more…" Michio broke down, going from a fifteen to a five year old. He shrunk into a heap on the floor, sobbing hysterically.

I jumped back, caught off guard, but Shisui just smiled.

"How ya been, Michi?" he asked.

Just like that, Michio jumped to life again, all rainbows and sunshine. "Wonderful!"

Once again, I was caught off guard. This kidhad one creepy talent for acting. And coupled with transformations and flexible vocals, he could be anyone in the bat of an eye.

"…and I called an arm wrestling match but the little rat got away from me." Michio snapped his fingers.

"Ooh, that reminds me. How'd ya do in the tournament?"

"First place!"

"Thatta way!"

They locked hands and did a manly chest-bumped. "Huuzah!"

Then, they slapped their hands back and forth, knocked fists three times, stacked them up, broke away by fluttering their hands, did a hokey pokey that turned into a square dance, chucked in a tail wag with a triple air-cheek kiss, and ended with a double hip bump.

"Who's the best?" Shisui asked.

"We are!" Michio exclaimed in the stance of a sumo wrestler.

"And what are we?"

"Superduperfantasicallyawesome!"

"Good job, cadet," Shisui said, shuffling Michio's hair. Michiogave the widest smile, rubbing his cheek against Shisui lovingly. I swore he purred. I could even see the imaginary kitty ears twitch.

Otoha came down the mountain, hands in her pockets. She walked so casually it was like there were stairs that I missed on my way down. While Shisui and Michio were having their reunion, she went past us and slammed the door shut.

"It's a chakra barrier people. It doesn't make you invisible."

Minutes later, we brought the mattress down and gathered on top. Shisui dumped all the goods he got. He had left early in the morning to sneak into town. It was then that Michio, the little stalker, had transformed into the fake Shisui.

I wondered how long Shisui and Michio knew each other. Was this Michio person Uchiha? I was not so sure. Every one of my relatives was fair skinned. Most had dark hair. On the other hand, Michio had dark skin and white hair. Even his eyebrows were white.

"I know, I know I'm hot, but if you just said yes earlier, you wouldn't need to resort to staring."

I sent him crashing into the mattress with a thud.

"Waa, no one say she this mean!" Michio cried. "Aunt Miko said dancing angel, not violent temptress!"

"I'm a _WHAT?_"

"Why she be yell'n now?" he sniffed, hiding behind Shisui. "Why she no lub Michio n'stead?"

"Maybe because, I don't know, you pretended to be Shisui, snapped at me, and nearly sent me to Tomoe?"

He blew a puffed cheek. "No Michio's fault Michio so heav'nly good at act'n."

"Then you just _kiss_me and ask me to be your girlfriend?"

"Should I ask first, then kiss?"

"Gah!" I yanked at my hair.

"Both of you, shush," Otoha scowled. "It's about time we got serious."

Otoha had finished stacking the last of the fish chips and octopus crackers, and sorted out the cans of drinks. Shisui was dumping out key chains, firecrackers, nail polish, plastic mannequins… and a scroll. In a poof, my stuff appeared.

My backpack, my homework, and Utako were all there. Catching the flash in Michio's eyes, I snatched my doll away. I stuffed Utako in my backpack, and hugged the backpack. No way was he getting his hands on _my_ doll.

While Michio attacked me, trying to get the doll, Shisui took out one last thing from the bag. A map.

He laid the map down. It was a blueprint of the Miyako district.

"So right now," Shisui said, "we're here at our old rooms, the last place anyone would look." He pointed to a southwestern room in the biggest building.

I saw there were many buildings. "There are many inns," Shisui said. "Ours is for the Uchiha clan. The building also has the secondary dojo, the courtyard, and the biggest kitchen. That's where I saw your dad, by the way."

I got worried. "How is he?"

"Oh, he's having a blast."

"What!"

"Yup, when I went to sneak out some doodler cookies, I saw he was staffed as the head chef."

Otoha raised an eyebrow. "This punk's daddy beat Steel Blade?"

"Nah, I think Steelie resigned for her vacation. And as far I know, Mr. Kenta's can make some _delicious _breakfast meals. Anyhow, here is the Eastern Tea House." Shisui tapped on a hexagon near the woods. "That's where both of Itachi's parents are at. I admit, Itachi had the right idea to ask his mom, but he reached there too late. Once the meeting brings, it can go uninterrupted for weeks. The Tea House is what the she-devil is personally guarding too. She hasn't moved from that spot."

"If Tomoe isn't leaving that place, then why did we lock ourselves up in here?" I asked.

"The ma'am regulates the district with the upper staff and fire clones," Otoha sighed. "In every inn, there are storage rooms with candles. Her chakra is buried into the wax. Once lit, the clones will continue to act until either the flame goes out or the wax is gone."

"It's not like the clones you learned squirt," Shisui added. "These can be infinitely far from the original, and they don't go away after a hit."

"And since it's FIRAH, it can burn you with just a touch," Michio giggled, poking me.

I kicked him away.

"Song bird, you mind marking the storage rooms?" Shisui asked, passing a red marker.

Otoha did and I grew dizzy at all the red.

"How hard is it to fight a clone?" I asked. The real one must be frightening if she took down Itachi. But Itachi got rid of the clone with water.

"Like teaching engineering to morons."

"Like find'n water in the Suna desert!"

"Like gettin' a date with the hottest girl in Konoha."

I took out a textbook. "How about this instead?"

_S-Rank: Has complete mastery. Example: Kage._

_A-Rank: Has near complete mastery, including two or more elemental manipulation; 95+ efficiency in signs, seals, and chakra; 90+ intelligence in espionage, strategy, or psychology OR 70+ efficiency in all three criteria; 90+ efficiency in either ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu OR 80+ efficiency in all three criteria. High jounin._

_B-Rank: Has impartial mastery, including one or more elemental manipulation; 80+ efficiency in signs, seals, and chakra; 60+ intelligence in either espionage, strategy, or psychology OR 45+ efficiency in all three criteria; 75+ efficiency in either ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu OR 65+ plus efficiency in all three criteria. Low jounin, specialized jounin._

_C-Rank: Has incomplete mastery; 65+ efficiency in signs, seals, and chakra; 30+ intelligence in espionage, strategy, or psychology OR 15+ efficiency in all three criteria; 55+ efficiency in ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu OR 35+ plus efficiency in all three criteria. High chuunin, specialized chuunin._

_D-Rank: Has limited mastery; 45+ efficiency in signs, seals, and chakra; 30+ efficiency in ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu OR 20+ plus efficiency in all three criteria. Low chuunin, high genin._

_E-Rank: Has little mastery; 20+ efficiency in signs, seals, and chakra; 20+ efficiency in either ninjutsu or taijutsu OR 15+ plus efficiency in both criteria. Low genin._

_N/A: Has little to no mastery. Requirements: none. Academy student, citizen. _

"This edition is kinda old," I said. "The standards are a bit lower now, and we're all going by genin, chuunin, jounin now, but if you tell me what rank Tomoe's clone is by this, I can get an idea."

"Konoha is all about ranks, huh," Otoha muttered, reading the chart. "Hard to judge this _efficiency _without anything to compare it to."

I blinked. "Efficiwhat? Oh! The number says how good you are."

Shisui crossed his arms. "Let's go by this, song bird. You're a high E. Michi's about a D."

At this, Michio did a double peace sign.

"Squirt has no rank."

"Ninjutsu is hard, okay?" I said.

"I got it without school," Michio bragged, sticking out his tongue. He turned to Shisui. "What about you, Shishi?"

"Eh, I go up and down depending on my mood. Technically, I'm a C, but I can get at B if I felt like it."

"And Itachi dearest?"

"He fluxes based on the situation as well. I've seen him drop down to E when he doesn't want to fight all the way to A when the situation demands it."

"Waah, really? But A's near the top!" Michio exclaimed.

"_Really_?" I said. Sure, Itachi was impressive during the Chuunin Exam, but A was pushing it. The textbook would place him at D, but I would put him at C.

"I don't believe you," Michio said. "If you say Itachi dearest is A, then I say Shishi be S! For Superduperfantasicallyawe-!"

Otoha shut him up with her foot. "Based on system, then I'd say the real ma'am is a high B. Her clone is a solid C."

When I heard that, I fainted.

"You're all wrong, birdie!" Michio exclaimed. "Lady Tomoe's an A, definitely. Her clone a B."

Double fainted.

"No, no, it's double A," Shisui said, crossing his arms and shaking his head.

"You only say that because you scared of her, Shishi!"

"Yes, yes I am."

"Guys, _please _tell me you're kidding." I closed the book. The more I stared at the numbers, the dizzier I got. "The book is describing _ninjas._ Tomoe's not even one. I know she's strong, but she's still an innkeeper and-"

"Have you thought about why we are locked in this room?" Otoha said. "It's because even if we all fought her right now, Master Itachi included, we would be crushed."

"B-but we're all kids. Tomoe's older and a bully, but you can't put her on the same level as adults-"

"Squirt, as hard as it to believe, age, size, name, sex, rank… none of those matters in the end. And as much as I hate to break it to ya, that demonic witch can handle full grown jounin shinobi and destroy them. I know. I've seen it happen. _Many times_." Shisui shuddered.

"And just 'cause we're kids doesn't mean we're weak either!" Michio added. "In the clan, Shishi darling's one of the fastest, Itachi dearest one of the smartest, and I'm one of the strongest. Birdie is also one of the right hand women of Lady Tomoe herself, messenger and executor."

"Blow my cover, will you, brat."

"Oh come on, honey doll probably figured it out after two minutes with you."

I did? Let's go with that.

"The _point _is," Shisui said, "you'd be cuckoo to go against the wicked witch, so that leaves us with two options. One, we pack our bags and get our tushies outta here, or two, we begin crawling on our knees and beg."

"Why can't we just stay here?" I asked, eying the food.

"I'm running outta chakra, squirt. Holding this giant barrier up is like losing a drop o' blood a second." I cringed. "It's nothing for a few minutes, but when you make it days, I'll be sleeping in the grave with Itachi."

"Mhm! Michio noticed on second day, it got all wavy n'stead of bubbly. Michi then be secretly help'n!"

"Ah, knew it had to be you, cadet!"

"Hehe." Michio gave a fat grin. Then, he got serious again. "But Michi's been wonda'n why Lady Tomoe hadn't tried find'n us," he said. "Michi thinks it's 'cause she wait'n for us to give the barria up."

"You shouldn't have helped us then," Otoha yawned. "When we're caught, even you don't have immunity from the ma'am."

Michio puffed his chest, pointed to himself. He proudly said, "I will stand beside Captain Shishi, n'matter what!"

After some thought, I said, "I say we leave. I don't think it'd be so bad to sleep outside, near the river or something. I camp at school all the time for survival training."

Michio raised his hand, bouncing in his seat. "Ooh, Michi go with Ayae dollie. I wanna camp! I wanna leave!"

Shisui and Otoha were more hesitant.

"Well I can ditch, no problem," Shisui said. "But song bird works here. If she leaves, that's like quitting. Plus, if Itachi leaves, the harpy ain't gunna let him back in."

"Why would he want to?" I asked.

"Um well… you see… that's a good question… it's because..." Shisui stalled, scratching his head and looking for an answer when he thought of one. "Because Aunt Mikoto will definitely want to see him later. It's been a while."

"If that happens, then can't Auntie lift the ban, like we wanted?" I asked.

Shisui stammered some more.

"What?" I said, leaning closer.

"Tea ceremony!" Shisui blurted out. "Yeah, that's it. Giant tea ceremony. It's a clan thing. You know, tea and… sitting… and talking… yeah, it's boring."

My eye twitched. "Then Itachi shouldn't go."

"Uhh… he likes his tea? And he'll drop dead and die without it? You know, the caffeine and… help me out, Michi."

Michio's ears perked up. "What Shishi means is that cousin dearest needs to go to an important Uchiha clan ceremony. He will be inducted and accepted as the official heir. If he does not show up, he rejects the title, and such action will be seen as treason and either he will be exiled or executed!"

Did this thing say executed as in head chopped off? That's bad. "Won't his parents be attending it if it's so important? Then they'll make sure he's there," I reasoned.

"Ya!" Michio agreed. "But if he leaves, Lady Tomoe will do everything so he _stays out_, and that's a risk we can't take for cousin dearest's sake. See, bitesize's way too little. So the title of the official heir is up for grabs. It could be me, it could be Shishi, it could even be you! But if the case was really true, the default be Lady Tomoe. And that is a _bery scarie thot._"

"Oh." So _that _must be why Tomoe was giving Itachi a hard time. "Ooh…" I got it. Tomoe wanted the title of heir for herself, so all this madness went back to politics. Okay, sure, I would buy that.

On second thought, I had no clue. If Lady Tomoe wanted the title, why would she bother with _me_? Also, was she not already the heiress of Miyako? Why would she even care about what Konoha?

_Wait._

Did that mean she wanted to switch to _Konoha_? Oh no.

"Oh, and there's another point to the ceremony," Michio said. "It's when they choose the-"

"Thank you, Michi!" Shisui jumped in, muffling the kid in his chest. "I don't think the squirt is interested in the details… you know, politics, government, all that fun stuff. Anyhoos, if we go by that plan, then we have to split up. You, me, and Michi. Songbird stay behind with Itachi."

I frowned. My idea did not seem that great now.

"Michi's okay with that! We can camp by Katsura and eat fried fish and tell scary stories! And at night, we can all cuddle together!"

When he tried to glomp me again, I extended my foot. OKAY, my idea was horrible. "NO! I change my mind, let's not!"

Shisui sighed. "Then that leaves us with option B. Shot not!"

"Nah-uh!"

"No."

All three turned to me.

"You guys all stink," I said.

"Either that, or camping. Your call, squirt."

Sure, leave it to the ten year old girl. Everyone waited for my answer.

I looked around the room. With the amount of food and tools here, I would be better off camping. Hana said my survival skills were 'barely adequate,' compared to Minoji's 'startlingly shameful.'

Then again, I could make a truce with Lady Tomoe. That would be better for everyone else.

So what now?

Beg or camp? Stick together or separate? Stay or go?

I wanted to pull my hair out. I was hopeless in choosing.

"Anyone got a coin?"

"Be right back." Shisui teleported. In a snap, a coin flicked in front of me.

"You gunna base your choice off a coin," Otoha deadpanned.

"Old capital trick. Head, stay, tail, go." I flipped the coin. Everyone leaned in.

When I revealed the coin, I felt my throat dry up. Closing my eyes, I handed the coin back to Shisui and stood up.

I stepped off the mattress. I breathed, my fingers on the door, and when I got the nerve, I slid it open.

.

I had a plan.

Step one: find Tomoe.

Step two: talk to her.

Step three: make her forget all of this ever happened so we can all move on with our lives.

Best plan ever. Michio even dubbed it "Operation AWESOME." Now, if only I knew how maps worked, we can move beyond step one of my three step plan.

"I think we turn... left?" I asked, pointing to my right.

"Right," Otoha corrected.

"I'm right?"

"No, you turn right!"

I shrunk.

"Huh, we still haven't met any of Tomoe's clones yet," Shisui said. "Did she die?"

"Then we shall celebrate!" Michio said, tossing imaginary confetti into the air.

"Hold off on the celebration." Otoha stopped us. She placed a finger on her lips, and motioned to the hallway behind us.

We waited. Then, everyone tensed and acted. Before I knew it, Michio vanished, Otoha dashed off, and I found myself suspended on the ceiling thanks to one Shisui.

It was a minute later that I saw what's up. Or rather, down.

"A cat?" I hung by my shirt, watching the kitty cat strut down the halls. "You're kidding me."

The gang came back, and I dropped down.

"D'aw, whatcha do'n here?" Michio giggled, picking up the cat and squishing it in a hug.

"That's odd. The ma'am banned all cats from the main inn after the Waterworks Disaster." Otoha frowned, eying the cat with suspicion. "And all the cats should _know_that."

The cat hissed at Otoha, then gave an indignant meow.

"Does it look like I care? Rules are rules."

Meow.

"What do you mean your rights are violated?"

Meow!

"We you sure as dung ain't any safer with us."

Meow?

"We are kinda on a sour note with the ma'am."

Me-_OW_. The cat squirmed out of Michio grip, about to strut off, when its ears perked, and it jumped right back into Michio's arms again. _Meow!_

"Uh-oh, trouble."

I heard a pitter-patter, then a boyish shout and missiles _everywhere_. For once, I met someone with _worse_aim than me, as I found shuriken falling left and right, kunai jutting in all directions. Even _backwards_.

"Come back here, lousy cat!"

The next second, I had the air knocked out of me.

"Ow." We both hit the floor. A small boy scrambled off me, his eyes dead set on the cat in Michio's arms.

A kunai appeared in his hand.

Michio looked at the sharp kunai, then at the cat, then at the boy, then at the cat, then at the sharp kunai. Then, Michio held the cat toward the boy with the sharp kunai, exclaiming, "Ya can hug 'um too if ya want!" much to the cat's distress.

Thankfully, Otoha plucked the weapon out of the boy's hand, saying something about the prohibition of weapons in the hallways, and Shisui grabbed the kid by the collar so he would not hurt the poor kitty.

"You know, it's this same rash behavior that is going to make you a petty, international criminal prone to half-ass revenge gimmicks, manipulation by psychotic ancestors, and raging rampages of death and destruction," Shisui said.

"Back off!"

"I stand corrected. A _rude_, petty, international criminal. Of all the things Itachi's teaching you, you'd think manners would be at the top of the list."

"Oh, sorry, your majesty, _please _back off!"

"Ah, well, at least sarcasm is up there. His majesty is pleased." Shisui dropped the boy.

The kid was short, hair perky and shiny black, cheeks soft and rosy, eyes wide and bright. Dressed in a blue shirt and pants. Who did I know was like that again?

Young boy... young boy...

"Oh!" I said, hopping in place. "Sasu-"

"Sasuke," the boy said, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah! That's it!" I slammed my fist into my palm. Then, I scratched my cheek. "Huh... you were a lot smaller the last time I saw you. And quieter. And such a cute-" He narrowed his eyes. I shut up.

"Who are you?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Ayae. I came over often to your place a few years back, remember?" I said.

"No."

"Oh, come on, I saw you like three times a week for over a year!"

"What are you, an Uchiha?"

I frowned. "Yes."

"Don't look it."

I winced. "Well, I am?"

"You're lying."

Shisui scribbled in a notepad. "Ah, I shall add _tactlessness _to the list," he said. "Wait till Itachi gets a load of this."

"Wait! Brother is here?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah."

As soon as Shisui said that, there were _sparkles _in Sasuke's eyes. I jumped back on reflex. Anything sunshine and rainbow and hearts were signs of _fanclubs_.

"Where is he?" Sasuke demanded, the cat forgotten.

"Itachi's uh, out of commission. He ran off with the circus."

I slapped my face. Otoha groaned. Michio snickered. The cat meowed. And Sasuke _glared_.

"Is kidnapped by a princess more believable?" Shisui tried again.

"Where. Is. He."

"How about he turned into a cat?" Shisui should stop trying.

"Why don't you try _'_mission,'" I suggested. "Or even better yet, '_training_.'"

"Training _is _a classic," Shisui agreed, but whispered to me, "but I'm afraid that excuse doesn't work for this one. He's a wee bit training-crazy himself. Just try the words _shuriken practice_, and you'll see."

"Where is my brother!" the boy screamed, melting my eardrums. "_You're _here!" he said, snapping at Shisui. "My brother should be here too then! If you don't tell me now, I'll... I'll..."

"You'll what? Spit on me?" Shisui teased.

"I'll... tell brother that you... you hit me again!"

The threat was so weak that I snorted. But Shisui paled, and Sasuke had on the cockiest smirk ever.

"You _wouldn't,_" Shisui dared.

"I _would_," Sasuke challenged back.

An intense spark of lightning. A silence.

Then, Shisui straightened, and grinned. "Okay. Go ahead..." Without warning, he grabbed my wrist and twirled me over to stand right in between him and the boy. Shisui clutched my shoulder, and I felt a spike of energy bolt through my body. Around me was a puff of smoke.

"Itachi's listening."

"Itachi's wha-?" I began, when Sasuke gave a small yelp.

"B-brother?"

"What-" I looked at my hand. I went to my hair, and my jaw dropped. "Shisui!"

Before I could say another word, Shisui leaned down and smiled widely. "Yes, I-ta-chi?" he asked out loud.

"You can't seriously expect this to work," I gritted through my teeth.

"I put him under a genjutsu that can make him believe you're a dancing rainbow robot unicorn if I wanted. Added with the henge, just be on par with a third-rate wannabe actor, and we might just pull this off..." Shisui mumbled under his breath.

"Why can't we just tell him-"

"You want to tell this overly clingy child that his most precious person is unconscious in some barricaded room, be my guest. I'll also inform you of his uncanny ability to make lives absolute hell."

_Why ME_.

"Brother, why were you henged as a _girl_?"

I whipped around. "Ah- um-" I felt a pinch on my back and jumped. "Uh, training! Deception! Training deception! Deception training! I... um... got you!" Oh, just kill me now. Shisui _severely _overestimated my acting skills.

And yet...

"Oh!" There was awe in his eyes, as Sasuke took the story completely. I felt sweat trail down my back. Things just got more complicated.

Suddenly, Sasuke _jumped _on me. "So smart, Brother Itachi! I would never think you would pretend to be such an ugly, disgusting _girl_."

Shisui got me before I could strangle the brat. Ooh yeah. Things got _very_complicated.

"Itachi," Shisui told me, "why don't you tell your little brother to _go away now_while we handle some _very important matters_concerning _you-know-who_before _you-know-what _happens."

"No!" Sasuke hugged tighter. He would not separate from me.

"Uh, Shisui's right," I said. Michio contorted in agony at my acting. Yeah, they should not expect more from me than this. Clearing my throat, I gave a half-hearted attempt at a deeper voice. "So... uhh... go play or something."

Tight became a rib-crushing cobra constriction. "NO!" Sasuke shouted. There was also a falter in his voice, and I saw he was on the verge of tears, desperately clinging on. "You always leave. I won't bother you. I've gotten stronger now, I promise. Just let me show you. I have the book- no, I left it back in – NO, don't go. Don't _go_." He broke down into a whine, and buried his face into my chest.

He was _crying. _What do I do? What do I do! I turned to the other three for help. They were _not_at all helpful, all whistling, shuffling their feet, or taking a sudden interest in the walls, floors, or ceiling.

"I- Ah- Sasuke, i-it's alright," I stammered, patting him on the head. "I'm not leaving-"

"LIAR!" he screamed.

And thus, thanks to Shisui and his brilliant idea, I gained my fourth companion. I marched through the hallways, a map in hand, a five year old on my back, cat in front, and three _absolutely _useless followers behind.

"Brother Itachi?"

"Yes?" I gritted out.

"Where are we going?"

"Hell," I said. My jaw was screwed shut, my legs were shaking, my back was snapping because five year olds weighed ten tons. Otoha slapped my head, and I corrected, "I mean, we're going outside."

"Are you going to train with me?" The hope in his voice was so _sweet_and _heart-fluttering_I needed to puke.

"No," I said. He was disappointed. And now I was guilty. Oh great."I have some business to take care of," I quickly added. "I mean, I guess we could... train... afterward?"

The next thing I knew, Sasuke wrapped his arms tighter around my neck, choking me. "You promise?" His nose muzzled against my neck.

"I-I guess? Yeah." Maybe this deal was not too bad. I remembered Sasuke never wanted to play with me years back. But he really was sweet, and I would not mind playing some tag or hide-and-seek. It would be fun.

"Oh, and brother?"

"Yeah, Sasuke?" I said, smiling.

"Why do you smell so bad today?"

The smile died.

The kid fell to the ground. I marched on, wondering if Itachi would mind if I led the brat into some deep woods filled with nice, hungry wolves, and dashed off.

I slid open one last door and faced the bright afternoon sun. We were finally outside. My toes curled in the dirt.

Michio snuck up on me. With a grin, he asked, "So cousin _dearest_, what be the course of action if this gets messy?"

"What do you mean?"

"With Lady Tomoe. What's the strategy if she doesn't listen and _atakatack!_" He pounced on me. The cat on his head tucked in its tail.

"Uh, run?" I said.

"No fight? If you're scared, we'll fight for you," he said, swaying to my side with a charming smile. "Just tell us what to do."

He seemed sincere. But I was set on fixing everything with Tomoe alone, not drag anyone into my problems. It would be awful if a fight broke out and more people got hurt. "No, I'll handle it," I said.

"Whatever suits you." He flashed his crooked teeth and backed off.

After a long walk through the district, a hexagonal building came into view. The temple had painted wood and arabesque details, with a ring of blossoming trees and shrubbery all around.

We stopped at the bridge that led to the tea house. "I'll be right back," I told Sasuke. Through a lot of force and persuasion, I yanked him off and put him under Otoha's grip. I exchanged a nod with Shisui. As I walked down the cobblestone path, I felt Shisui's chakra lifted. The henge disappeared.

The clouds shifted and the sun beamed. I stood at the base of a series of stairs and looked up. I took a deep breath and went on.

The entrance gate was huge, with carvings of lotus flowers and deities. As I got closer, I saw the main door to the tea house was barred, the curtains to every window drawn. Every time the wind blew, there were chimes. I reached last step of the stone stairs.

"So the mouse comes out."

I looked around. On top of the bracketed roof was a silhouette.

"L-lady Tomoe."

Tomoe raised her chin, strands of her hair sliding down her shoulder. Her eyes landed on me, indifferent at first, but then sharpened to a penetrating gaze, fiercer than those of a tiger.

Snapping shut my eyes, I bowed and said, "I'm really sorry for what I did. Please give me another chance, and I promise to work hard to pay for the damage I caused." I kept my head down.

Tomoe looked at me from head to toe.

"You have the audacity to ask for another chance," she said. "What a brazen child."

I gulped and waited.

Time ticked away, until finally…

"Fine."

Shock, I looked up to see Tomoe flash before me at arm's distance, her robes in a floating descent. She had an innkeeper smile when she took out a scroll from her kimono.

"If it is a chance you wish, it is a chance I shall grant," she said and tossed the scroll onto the floor. The scroll unraveled, stretched along the cobblestone, and bounced down the stairs, never-ending. Numbers after numbers in ink stared back at me.

"But do not assume I will be as generous as the first time," she said, cold. "Previously, I gave you free board and guest privileges. Do you know the exact price of that, girl?"

I shied away from the scroll and shook my head.

"1,700 for board, 1,000 for meals, 1,000 for service, 300 for laundry, 500 for springs, 2,275 for access to recreational areas, 185 for utility and other expenses, all a grand total of 6,960 _per night_." She punctuated her sentence.

My jaw dropped.

She was not done. "Your stay is ten days, so I gave you a value of 69,600 ryou. What did I ask for in exchange? The most basic of chores? Unfortunately for you, after your little episode, you've dried up all generosities from me. I do believe I spent three hours with carpenters and paid 14,875 to return my inn to its original condition. Do you have that money on you, girl?"

Frightened, I shook my head again. I had a bad feeling.

"Shame. Then you'll have to _work _for it. In _servitude_. For someone of no experience but full competency, the wage is 35 per hour; meager yes, but for thirteen hours, totals to 455 per day. But I assume you do need a place to sleep, meals to eat, baths to take, and with the poorest board, it will be 420 ryou per night. Thus, if you work thirteen hours a day, seven days a week, for one year and two months, then you will have paid your debt."

I found myself backing away, my foot shakily landing on a stone step. But Tomoe did not stop, only continuing with her calculations.

"And I have not yet considered the resources wasted on you: the ruined clothes, the wrecked rooms, the extra hours for my maids. Every _second _I pull Otoha out of her job to babysit you, I am losing profit. With this, your time escalated to one year and seven months, but realistically, counting the days you are sick, you make mistakes, you are broken down to the bone, I can bind you into a contract for over _forty five years. _Assuming you live a day past twenty."

After one glance at me, she chuckled and snapped her fingers. The scroll retracted. She caught the scroll and held up the seal for me, an insignia of the uchiwa fan in red wax. "These are only the basic finances of Miyako. If you agree to the above terms, then we shall continue with negotiation. And if believe I am cruel, do understand that I will never benefit from you. To me, you are but a deficient and nuisance."

I could not say anything, too overwhelmed.

Tomoe read my thoughts and tucked the scroll away. "I'll take your silence as a rejection. If so, you have ten minutes to leave this district and never come back. The Miyako district will no longer acknowledge you as customer nor associate of our clan. The damages will be transferred to your father."

My eyes widened. "W-what? B-but my dad c-can't pay that much."

"Unlike you, your father is an adult and _will _pay one way or another. But what do you have to worry? The heir seems to have gotten a new hobby of cleaning up after you. I'm sure he will take full responsibility for your mess."

"I-Itachi? He c-can't…-"

Slowly, her lips stretched in a smile. "Oh, he has the money," she chuckled. Something appeared in the air. With a flick of her wrist, she fanned opened hundreds of bills.

"To be exact, 160,000 ryou."

I froze, eyes wide. I had never seen that much money ever in my life.

"To pay for you and your father for all ten days," she said, brushing her fingertips along each bill. "It was amusing to watch the lengths he would go to for you. Almost pitiful. But boys like him should never play hero..." The edges of the bills began to singe, blacken, and ashen. Before I could do anything to stop it, the money was set on fire. "And his negotiation failed the _second _you broke a rule of the house."

I could not talk, could not think, only watch the money burn in front of my eyes. Desperate, I ran forward, trying to save it.

Money fluttered. A naginata hung in the air, and I held onto the bannister to not fall down a hundred flight of stairs.

"You wish to fight me, girl?" Tomoe asked, curling her naginata around my throat.

I gulped, then looked down. My knees grew week.

"I-I'm sorry." My throat became dry. "I w-wasn't-"

"Get out," Tomoe said. "I have no need for the insolent, incompetent, and ignorant. The heir can fall to his knees, offer whatever blood money he has, but he can_not _redeem you, and he can_not _make me accept this disgrace into my district."

I kept my head hung, body shaking. The money burned on the floor, crackling, making the air sweet.

I swallowed. "I'll..." I inhaled, and fought back tears. No more crying. "I'll go," I gasped in one breath.

The naginata retracted.

"If you don't hurt them," I added. My heart was thumping loudly. "Don't hurt Otoha. It was my fault. She tried her best. The others, they didn't do anything... I'm responsible for the mess. And Itachi-" I choked. "Please don't hurt Itachi anymore..."

No more bruises. No more blood. No more. Tomoe and Itachi were family. I did not care what went on in the past, why they were on such bad terms, but they were family. If Tomoe would not forgive me, _fine. _But at least forgive him. Itachi, who _respected _Tomoe. Itachi, who was bed-bound now from protecting me. If _I _was the problem, then mock me, attack me, banish me, but Stay. Away. From. Itachi.

The money crackled.

"Or what," Tomoe drawled.

"Or..." I stopped and looked into her eyes. "Or else this inso-incom-whatever _disgrace _is going to turn your inn inside out," I spat. "You think dirt in your hallways is bad, wait until I get serious. Toilet paper parties and blown-up roofs are all the rage. Oh, and remember, blood is _very _hard to clean, so have fun cleaning up my bloody mess. And while I'm dead, you can be that brat's new babysitter too!"

My legs steadied and my hands balled into fists. "Listen, _Lady _Tomoe," I said. "What kind of innkeeper are you if you can't even handle a little kid. All you do is shoo me out. But what if I don't leave? What are you going to do then?" I spread my arms out wide. "Attack me? You can't fool me. You're just another kid, and guess what, you are in huge trouble the minute Auntie or my dad realizes anyone bullied their darling, precious, dancing_ angel_."

I was so dead.

But then, I learned something unsettling. Tomoe was not sensitive to disrespect. I thought she would go crazy if anyone insulted her. But I could _spit _on her face, and she would be calm. She would always be calm. Elegance was wrapped around her tighter than it did around Itachi, because either you were long dead before a word left your lips or...

You said exactly what she wanted.

"What are you saying?" Her eyelids lowered, as she waited for me to go on, listening as an innkeeper would to her guest's complaints. As if I was nothing more than a child stomping on the ground.

Composure, logic, clarity. She was not angry. She did not feel anything that would make her lose sight of what was valuable, what was not, what was profitable, what was not.

"I'm saying, don't hurt my friends, and I'll accept your contract and pay for everything on my own," I said. "And _thank you _for telling me about Itachi's deal with you, because he sure forgot to mention he gave you 160,000 behind my back. I would like to repay him, and the cost of a katana, on top of the damages, if you may. And _thank you _for saving me the trouble of hunting down a job. And the _thank you _for never _firing _me, so I can screw up _as much as I want_."

I could not run away now. I felt too guilty to run away now.

Tomoe hid her grin when I signed. I realized too late that she never was going to let me go.

As a parting gift, she whispered, "Control a boy through his _wrath_, but control a girl through her _sensitivity. _I look forward to your working for me, Ayae."

.

"Are you MAD?" Shisui frantically shuffled through the scroll, scanning for loopholes. "Squirt, you are NEVER, EVER to handle ANY type of negotiation EVER, ya hear me!"

I buried my head in my knees and groaned. "I'm _ten, _people, _ten_. And you know what I realized?"

"What?"

"I still have finals!" I cried. "At this rate, I'm going to totally fail-"

A whack to my head. "You worry about _school exams _after you signed away your soul to the ma'am?" Otoha said, kneeling on the floor and looking over the contract with Shisui. "Idiot doesn't even describe you at this moment. This contract is binding, and from what I can tell, you are not leaving Miyako within the next _millennium_." She looked at Shisui. "Can Konoha do anything about this?"

"Konoha can't help bubkus!"

"What about the elder?" Otoha asked, rubbing her temples.

"If a week earlier_, maybe. _But it's too late now. Neither can Mikoto do anything. Hell, not even Fugaku."

While they talked about the contract, I curled up in my spot on the bridge, watching Michio cartwheel on the water below to keep Sasuke happy. Sasuke took one step on the water, and sank in. Michio laughed. The cat curled up, napping on the bridge railing.

"My god, Itachi is going to _murder _me," Shisui cried. "I can't believe this happened, and all for a lousy fourteen thousand ryou."

Otoha rolled up the scroll. "Actually, the damages are 20,405. It's not much. _I _can make this within a month, but for _her, _at _thirty-five an hour_, the only way I can see this happening is if she improves fast and moves up to higher pay. Cut the losses and forget about the one sixty grand."

"Just accept this contract? Are you _nuts_? The only way to break even is to work _twelve _hours a day! No weekends, no breaks, no vacations, not even a single _sick _day!" Shisui said. "And she is to handle _thirteen_?"

"There are children working for _one _ryou an hour for _fifteen _hours a day at the age of _four_," Otoha said, and Shisui shut up. "These terms are harsh, but _doable_. She _signed _and she _will _have to keep to her word. _If _she can please the ma'am, then she might move up to standard wage, and she'll have a chance to get out in a year."

"A YEAR? For a lousy twenty thousand?"

"What do you mean a _lousy _twenty thousand, Mr. Cheapskate?" I snapped. It would be great if they would stop talking as if I was the biggest idiot in the world. Maybe I was. But still. Not nice.

"What he means," Otoha said, closing her eyes, "is that there are better means to pay the ma'am back. What would take you years, Master Itachi and _this _buffoon can make ten times over in a day. You should have left when she gave you the chance."

"And leave this to Itachi to fix when he wakes up?" I asked. Itachi already got hurt by Tomoe over this. There was no way I-

Otoha smacked my head. "Yes!"

I held my head. That one hurt. I glared.

Otoha glared back, furious. "You, you need to understand exactly how ridiculously _lucky _you are to have Master Itachi here to buy you a way out. And after you _understand _that, you have to swallow your pride and _accept _his help, because you cannot help yourself and you sure as hell cannot help _him_."

"I CAN and I WILL," I screamed, snatching back my contract. "I don't want his help, I don't!"

"So you'll dig a deeper hole for yourself? What was a mere twenty thousand, hundred sixty thousand, _whatever_, has now escalated to an arm and leg."

"No, he's paying _nothing_, because I don't need him to pull me out!"

"Then you'll _rot _here."

"Then let me!"

Otoha inhaled a deep breath. "Do you know what you are, brat?"

"What?" I snapped.

"SELFISH! Prideful, childish, narrow-minded, useless, and worse of all, UNGRATEFUL!" she yelled. "You just don't see, do you? As ill-fated as it is, there are people here who _LOVE _you. And you threw yourself away, the product of everyone's sacrifice, in under a _second, _because you could not handle _feeling bad_." She yanked the scroll from my hand and threw it over the bridge, then stomped away. She went to pace on the other side of the bridge and calm her temper.

There was a silence.

I bit my lips. What was _her _problem. Ungrateful? _She _should be grateful I did this to cover her butt too.

Shisui sighed and looked at the sky.

A wet hand slapped on the bridge wooden railing, and a mop of white curls peaked over. Michio hung onto the railing, scroll in hand, Sasuke latching onto his leg.

He kicked his feet up and flipped onto the bridge, catching Sasuke. I rolled my eyes when I felt Shisui's chakra run through me again.

"Y'know," Michio said, shaking his head and splashing water on everyone. The cat screeched and jumped away. "I just thought of something."

"What is it, cadet?"

"No one can break the contract, right?"

"Si."

"But Lady Tomoe can," Michio said.

"You _really _think she'll change her mind?" I grumbled.

Michio shook his head. "But we can _force _her," he said gleefully. "Right, Shishi?"

They made eye contact.

"Fire Duel," they said.

"What?" I did not understand.

Shisui leaned back and stared off into the clouds. "A fight of taijutsu and fire-release ninjutsu, used to settle matters within the Uchiha clan. But there's no way anyone can beat her."

"Worth a shot," Michio said. Leaning down, he grinned at Sasuke. "So, Sasu-kins. How about that shuriken training with your big brother?"

Sasuke beamed. Suddenly, shuriken spun on his fingers. "You promised, brother!" he said, and threw one my way. The shuriken landed a centimeter away from me. I felt a spike of nerves crawl up my spine. Usually, people would be scared of good aim. But in this case, I was scared his _bad _aim.

Suddenly, Michio sashayed to my side, and leaned an elbow on my shoulder. "So, Sasu-kins. Between Itachi and Lady Tomoe, who will win?"

That did not even need a second of thought. "Brother Itachi!" Sasuke said. He turned to me and asked, "You are going to fight that lady?"

I opened my mouth.

"Oh yeah," Michio said. "But, of course, he needs a little warm up. When was the last time Itachi fought you, Sasu-kins?"

Sasuke crossed his arms. "Is this a trick question?"

Michio chuckled. "So never," he said. "Well, today, he will. Cousin dearest _really _wants to see how strong you've become, Sasuke."

Sasuke glowed.

"You're asking me to fight a five year old?" I hissed under my breath.

"We talked about rankings before, right, Miss Academy?" Michio whispered. "Well, you must climb from da bottom to ta top. Gain that S... for super-duper-fantastically-awesome!" He laughed.

"I can't hurt him!"

"Then work so you can. Give it your all and put in some kill'n intent, OK? It might help," he chuckled lowly, his breath against my face. Then, out loud, he patted me and said, "Go super-duper easy on your darling little brother, hm?"

Sasuke grinned. "Don't do that, brother! I've gotten _stronger than you think_." And he ran toward me.

Michio flashed away, landing on the wooden railing and watching from above. Shisui raised an eyebrow, and Otoha joined him a minute later.

"What. Are. They. Doing?" she questioned Shisui, deadpanned.

"It's kinda funny to watch." His lips quivered, before he snickered. "You want me to put you under genjutsu lenses so you'll see what I mean?"

"Try me."

Then, "Oh _gods_."

"In my defense, dancing rainbow robot unicorns _are _easier to pull off."

"I would ask you to spare me more of this, but I can't stop looking."

"I know, right?"

Michio just laughed.

Meanwhile, I dodged another horribly aimed shuriken. Sasuke ran up the railing, jumped on me, and wrapped his arms around my neck. Choking, I jutted my elbow out, but he had rolled away.

"What's wrong, brother," Sasuke asked, on three limbs, eyes burning with energy. "You're so slow today."

I frowned. Okay, losing to a five year old would be humiliating, so maybe I should be more serious-

The brat was gone.

I blinked, then felt a kick against my back, and stumbled forward. "You're so weak today too," he pouted.

Gritting my teeth, I kicked back, but all he had to do was drop to his palms, then rolled and kicked up, bruising my leg.

"And soft and unbalanced and _ugly_." With that, he flew upright and pushed me down. Hard. Looking down, he narrowed his eyes, but maintained his cuter-than-kittens voice. "What's wrong, _brother_?"

I threw my leg up and nearly knocked Sasuke's jaw off. Luckily for him, he backed away in time. I flipped up, and swung my leg. It made contact with his stomach.

My eyes widened, but Sasuke just grinned and seized my leg with both arms. I realized my mistake too late. The next second, I was on my back. I tried to get away, but the boy body-slammed me back down for extra pain.

He straddled my waist, and pouted. "Why do you always run away from me, brother? I've gotten stronger, haven't I? So why are you never here?" His voice dropped. "Why do you always leave me here? In this stupid district with these _mean, weak_, or _ugly _girls. I don't like them, brother. I'm sick, sick, SICK of girls!" he spat in my face. "I want MY BROTHER, _UNDERSTAND_?"

He slammed my shoulders down. He stomped over to Shisui, tossing him a nasty look. "And you. NO ONE dares impersonate MY brother! You will pay for this." And yet, through the threat, he was _cute._

"You figured it out earlier, didn't you?" Shisui sighed, releasing the henge off me.

The child scrunched up his nose. "There was no 'figuring out,' fool! I never bought it from the start!"

"WHAT!" I screamed. He revealed this _after _he made me _carry _him down a billion hallways, because his _brother _did that. _After _he called me _ugly _and _smelly, _because his brother would not strangle him for something so silly. _After _he threw a billion shuriken at me and forced me to the ground, because his _brother _could handle all that. Oh yeah, Itachi was a saint, and this child was the devil.

"I'm done playing games! Where. Is. Brother. Itachi!" Sasuke punctuated with a stomp on Shisui's foot.

"Ow, ow, OW," Shisui hopped on one foot, then flashed on top of the bridge railing, shying away as if Sasuke was a vicious dog. "Dang, and I thought I had Itachi nailed. _What _gave it away?"

What _didn't _give it away, I thought.

The boy snarled. "Like I would tell _you_. You can make this _girl _look like my brother, smell like my brother, act like my brother, but you're still better off making me believe she's a dancing rainbow robot unicorn! Don't make me ask again. Where is Brother Itachi!" The boy looked like a ripe tomato ready to burst, and Shisui looked ready to jump off the bridge.

That was when there a giggle. We all turned to see Michio balanced on one toe, his other foot behind his ear.

"Ooh, ooh, pick me!" he said as he unraveled himself and plopped onto the railing.

"Where," Sasuke demanded.

"Before I tell you, have you read _The Little Ninja _yet, Sasu-kins?"

My eyes beamed.

"I hate that book," the younger child spat.

"Michio too."

Why! It was a good book! Really!

"But, we use that for now, OK? Moi, I shall be the oh so lovely _crow _who conducts this play," Michio laughed, flapping his arms out wide. "And Sasu-kins, _you _shall be, yup, _The Little Ninja_!"

Sasuke looked like he was about to argue, when Michio cartwheeled and landed in between us. He pushed us together so we would face each other. "And Sasu-kins, meet your _Rival_, Miss Ayae honey doll. You two better get along quick, power up, gain some health points and dexterity, and be ready to take down Lady Tomoe, _Le Big Bad_, because the princess she has locked up this time is poor _Itachi _dearest."

Sasuke did not believe Michio for a second. "No way my brother lost to a lady."

"But you know how strong _that _lady is," Michio said.

Sasuke remained stubborn in his belief. "Brother's stronger!"

That was when Michio perfected his lie. "Of course Itachi dearest is strong. Tomoe just cheated." Grinning, he leaned in and said, "Girls are not just mean, weak, or ugly, Sasu-kins. They also _lie _and _cheat_, hide behind horrible words and illusions, relying on blackmail or hostages to gain the extra leverage. Girls are _nasty _creatures, and Lady Tomoe is the _nastiest _of them all."

I _would _cut in and start spewing a billion rants courtesy of the kunoichi seminar, but when Sasuke's cocky confidence waned, I liked that too much.

"Brother Itachi would still win," Sasuke said. "No one beats him."

"No one beats Lady Tomoe," Michio waved away. "And even if we were _lying_, which we have no reason to, then tell me this: why is Itachi dearest _not here _to see his beloved little brother?"

Sasuke was speechless. Michio took advantage of that. "Now, Itachi dearest needs _your _help this time, Sasu-kins." And Sasuke was snared. "Remember," Michio lulled, sliding to my side and latching onto my arm. "_He who is most powerful wins the prize_. First get ahead of this _girl_, then finish Lady Tomoe off."

The next minute, a kunai appeared in Sasuke's hand, as he stared at me with all the murderous intent a five year old could muster.

"And if you don't want to die, I suggest you get ahead the level of a five year old," Michio whispered in my ear. Then he took advantage of _my _shock and kissed my cheek, then flipped away in time to dodge my punch. I then flipped away before Sasuke's could kunai made cheese out of me.

"This cannot bode well," Otoha said, shaking her head. "Even with twenty-four hour training and rivals, there's no way either of them could get strong enough to beat the ma'am."

Shisui gave a lopsided grin. "Actually, I'm not so sure that's what Michi's aiming for. Hand me that contract again, song bird? I wanna check something out."

I did not realize I had already begun day one of ninja-training, Uchiha-style. _Abridged version_.

.

The tension in the air only grew worse with the steam. Sasuke and I knelt on the gravel floor. We held gaze with Michio, sweat trailing down our backs.

"To be a successful ninja, understanding is crucial. Let us see what both of you understand." Michio used a scholarly tone, emphasis on every syllable. He paced back and forth, head up, smacking a tree branch as if it were a meter stick. "Question one. What are the three universal powers of a shinobi?"

Both Sasuke and I shot up a hand.

"Honey doll?" Michio snapped the branch toward me.

"Taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu," I answered.

"Bzzt!" Michio buzzed, and then feigned pity. "Ooh, too bad. Sasuke?"

"Heaven, earth, man," Sasuke said. When Michio nodded, Sasuke sent me a smug grin.

"What!" Heaven, earthman WHAT?

Tsking, Michio said, "He is correct, honey doll. Now, question two. What are they?"

Sasuke's hand shot up again.

"Sasuke," Michio called.

"Heaven represents the Mind, or perception, compre-henshion, awareness, and intelligence. Earth represents the Body: speed, strength, an durance, and pre-session. Man represents the unison of the two, as well the Soul."

"Correct!"

My eye twitched. Five year old knew some big words.

"Question three. Which must be the first to be mastered?"

"Heaven!"

"Three – zero! Question Four. Why?"

"Because intel is the most coolseal in any mission. If your goal is wrong, all your efforts go to waste."

"Four - zero!"

I moaned and shot up my hand. "Yeah, teacher," I said, "I don't get this. Or how this will help get me outta debt."

Michio swatted down before me. "Good job!" He smiled, much to my confusion. "You stopped to question."

"Huh?"

"What we are saying," Michio said, "is that before we make you _physically _stronger, we must make you _mentally _stronger. You must learn to think and be innovative, understanding what you wish to accomplish, and the most _efficient _way to accomplish it. You can _push _a boulder, or you can _roll _it. You can _seek _out your prey, or you can _bait _them. You can _increase _troops, or you can _position _them. Never fight the current when you can adjust a sail. Get what I be saying?"

I blinked. "What do rocks have to do with my debt?"

Sasuke face palmed. "_This _is my rival?" he demanded. "How can my brother stand her? How is she even _related_?"

"Yes. Don't know. And genetics are tricky things," Shisui answered as he joined us at the hot springs. "Song bird and I got the hallways, laundry, and garden done, and bribed some of maids for the room services. Day one of a hundred years is covered, so you guys can start day two."

"Which will be what, capt'n?" Michio questioned.

"Cleaning the hot springs!" Right on cue, all the water in the springs behind us drained away in whirlpools, leaving two horrendously grimy craters in the ground. "Good luck!" Shisui whistled, and then flickered out.

Michio assessed the situation, stroking his imaginary beard. Then he said, "Alright then! Let's test what you two have learned! Sasuke, you get the left, Ayae, right. Let's see who finishes first."

"Cleaning?" Sasuke asked, not amused. "You're making me do women's work?"

"Did I mention the winner gets to hear Itachi dearest's most embarrassing secret?" Michio giggled, placing a finger on his lips.

"You lie!" Sasuke and I exclaimed, pushing each other out of the way.

"Am I?" Michio teased. "An actor must know his character from the inside out, dears. So, if you're interested-" He did not need another word.

Sasuke and I dashed to the closets for buckets and soap, sponges and brushes. I rolled into one of the giant craters, and, without a clue as to what to do, rubbed on some soap and scrubbed my heart out.

The spring smelled awful. There was a layer of sludge all over my body, and I found three bath towels lodged in goop and a pair of underwear. I kept on going anyway, dashed out, and dumped another pail of water in. The cake of grime came off if I worked hard enough.

The craters were wide and deep, uneven at the bottom, rocks protruding everywhere, so once we climbed in, it was hard to see the what the other person was doing. Still, Sasuke scrambled over to me from time to time to check my progress.

It was only when Michio cried out lunch break that I stopped to look at my work. About a quarter looked fairly clean, the filth gone from the rocks. My arms were throbbing, but that was fine. This was training, after all.

By the time I climbed out, I heard a crash of rushing water from Sasuke's spring.

I dropped my jaw in disbelief when I saw his spring was clean to the point of sparkling, water in place. He sat beside it, removing the scrubbing brushes tied to his feet.

"Good timing," Sasuke said, taking the tray from Michio. "I was just done."

"What- how- HUH?" I ignored the tray offered to me and triple checked the brat's work.

From behind, Michio laughed as he took the apple from my tray and bit into it. "And that, my friends, is a lesson in Heaven. Really, Ayae, did you get nothing of what I said?"

"I really didn't," I said, deadpanned. He used big words, and the most I got was that when you come across a boulder, you can either push it or roll it. And while I did come across some boulders during my cleaning, I did neither.

"Do you know how Sasuke beat you, honey doll?"

The brat used evil magic, that was how. "No."

A sigh. "Sasuke didn't beat you because he was faster or stronger than you. He beat you because he was _smarter _than you."

I felt slapped across my face, and it stung a lot. My ego did not like being told a five year old was smarter than me.

Michio plopped the tray of food in my hands, then bent over and reached for a bar of soap still in its paper package.

"For example, he asked me to read to him the instructions," he said, pointing to the small print on the paper covering the soap. "This is specialty soap. First dissolve in a bucket of water, then dump the water in the area you wish to clean. Wait ten to twenty minutes for the soap to settle in, and the scum to loosen and dissolve. When you scrub afterward, it easily comes off.

"Following instructions isn't all he did. He lacks strength, so he used weight to his advantage. He used his hands to scrub the sides, but his feet for the bottom. This distributes the stress on his body, so he'll tire less quickly and work more efficiently. All this combined, he won. Nod if you understand."

It took a while, but I nodded.

So the brat did not use evil magic. He used logic.

Okay, fine, two can play at that game. I grabbed a scrubbing brush and tied it to my feet too. Only to realized I should have done that after I was _inside _the spring. But too lazy to untie and tie again, I walked on my knees and forced myself back in the spring to finish the job, ignoring all warnings of, "Oi, you really should eat first to gain more efficiency-"

"_This _is my rival?" Sasuke repeated, deadpanned, and Michio gave a nervous laughter.

"Oh, and by the way..."

While I was dumping soapy water, the handle of a brush in my mouth, I heard an indignant, "What do you mean _you don't know the secret_!" followed by a casual, "I'm an actor. I lie."

Sasuke's way of cleaning worked better than I thought. Two hours later, I pulled the chain and released a rush of water to fill the springs.

Then, I collapsed, hugging the gravel floor.

Only to be kicked up by Michio. "Oh honey doll," he sang. "When Lady Tomoe assigned you to clean the springs, you do know she meant twenty, not two, right? Up! Up! Salt and mudbath are next! And Michi shall teach you more and make you super intelligent and super strong!"

Moaning, I covered my head with my sore arms.

For the rest of the day, I was burned, drowned, flung into mud, digested, and beaten by a five year old in everything I did. And through it all, I learned about some pretty cool things like focus and control, flexibility and agility, precision and concentration, stamina and endurance, harmony and balance, yin and yang strength, chakra channeling, and the five basic elemental manipulations.

By nightfall, Sasuke and I fell into our futons. The room was smaller than the smallest of closets, but it was the only servant chamber that was not bunked with fifty other maids. There were only six other futons. Those futons would remain empty. Shisui, the clever devil offered the maids _Sasuke_'s luxurious room in order to get their help. Sasuke was not happy about this. But he was too tired to care, and the servant chambers were closer than his room.

"How'd it go," Otoha asked when she came into the chambers, a bundle of towels in her arms.

Michio thought about it. Then,

"They were both absolutely pathetic!" he exclaimed proudly, causing me to slam a pillow over my head and Sasuke to do the same in the opposite side of the room.

Michio left our cramped closet of a room, sliding in with Otoha into the next room. Their room was adjacent to my corner, so I could still hear mumbles through the paper thin wall.

"... bitesize has nothing beyond whatever Itachi dearest has taught him. He gets too rash and impatient when he doesn't understand. Honey doll is worse, not even familiar with the basics. She's so soft and unexposed."

"Gunna give up then?"

"Nuh-uh. They suck, but... we can fix this, Michi thinks. They just need to find the _right _mentors.

"Once you point out his mistakes, Sasuke is quick to correct himself, and he grasps ideas quickly. He will dramatically improve if he has someone observant and critical, but also kind and _encouraging _to guide him. Then he'll feel the need to own up to it and make them proud. He learns through rewards.

"And Ayae, she's the exact opposite. She's slow but more willing. Picking out subtle flaws and hinting at it isn't going to do. She needs someone harsh to outright tell her what to do, someone cold and _discouraging _to guide her. Only then will she try to prove them wrong. She learns through punishment."

"So you're saying-"

"I'm saying. The best mentors for these two are right in this inn, yet, alas, unavailable. Still, we'll make with what we have, hm?"

A pause.

Then, "You know the ma'am has caught on to your plan, right?"

"The main core of the contract is that the damages will be paid through an equivalent worth of labor. Nothing says people can't help Ayae if they want."

"And of Master Sasuke?"

"He's not so ignorant. But he's playing along to find clues about his brother's whereabouts. After all, his only sources of information are either us or Lady Tomoe. He acts like he hates it, but he's also enjoying spending time with us. Mud-ball fights can be _very _fun."

"And you think all this will work out? Just fulfill the contract as quickly as possible?"

"Lady Tomoe has to move her up to higher wage, give her tasks that can be done quickly but only by skilled workers. Honey doll doesn't belong here. She needs to get back home."

"Why?" Otoha asked.

"Hm?"

"Why are you getting involved in all this?"

"Well, I got involved because I faithfully serve capt'n Shishi all the way!" Then, a softer warmer tone, "But I do want to help. I _like_Ayae."

I snapped open my eyes.

"_How_."

"Hm, I'm not sure! I didn't like her at first. Shishi worked so hard to take care of her, but she acted like everything we did was nothing, like we existed to serve her. And then she got all angry and started blaming other people for a mess she made.

"She was all _nasty_. But, it's funny. She's like that not because she doesn't care. She just doesn't _know. _Because once she knows, it was clear she cared a lot, the type of caring makes her _act_.

"Miyako is filled with too many people who _know_, but don't _care_. I guess Michi is sick of that. Ayae is ignorant, but she tries not to be. She doesn't know how to help, but she does her best anyway. And she's far from capable, but she is willing to go through something till the end. Itachi dearest may be _sacrificing _more, but Ayae ends up _giving _more – herself as a person, a friend always willing to be there for you. I guess I just like those people, birdie."

A silence.

I was searing hot, blushing, curling into my futon. Never did I think that Michio meant-

Otoha spoke up. "So, in other words, you see a painfully clear connection between Master Itachi and a girl. It has never happened before. You're curious. Probably jealous. And bored from being bottled in this district, so now you're trying to see if you can steal her away from him by acting as a wonderful, helping friend, all before Master Itachi can regain consciousness and know what hit him."

A hurt gasp. "Ehh? Why would-"

"And you bent our conversation just so the girl behind this paper thin wall can hear your heartwarming compliments and sappy declaration of love, no doubt thus securing her affections for you." Otoha delivered two knocks on the wall between us to make sure I knew.

Gritting my teeth, I returned her two knocks, showing I understood.

"D'aw, why birdie?" Michio whined, rising to a sobbing, childish voice. "Why you do this?"

"Because I told you to stop the 'birdie.'"

A cry. Then, "Hey, Ayae, honey doll, if you can hear me, which you do, she's kidding, you know that was all just a lesson in Heaven... understanding... perception... see through lies... ya!"

I gave the wall a solid bang, where Michio's head rested. When I heard a yelp, follow by the collapse of a body, I snuggled in my futon, a smile on my lips.


	17. Miyako Arc, Part III: The Clan Lady

"Well? How'd it go?" Shisui asked.

Michio also looked up, as Otoha and I stepped into Shisui's room.

I wanted to collapse. Never before had I been up at _five _in the morning. After a quick cleaning, I had dashed to the tea house. Otoha spoke to Tomoe. I kept my mouth shut, nodded when needed, and signed when told to. By the time we returned to the inn again, the first morning rays were peeking over the horizon.

The sight was pretty, an aurora of colors against the clouds. I never saw this before, because I would not wake up until the brighter yellow beams of seven. I had thought sunrise was the same as sunset, only the sun going up instead of down, but I was wrong. Sunsets were dim, a warm glow of oranges and reds and purples. Sunrises were far more fresh and sharp, the sky was a thin strip of yellow and pink.

Added with lanterns, the rustling leaves and blowing sakura, the trickling creeks and old cobblestone roads, this place looked like the vacation getaway it was supposed to be.

"The ma'am approved," Otoha said.

"The wage..." Michio held back his excitement.

"Went from minimum to low. One hour of work is now worth 60 ryou."

"Yay!" Michio cartwheeled.

"The girl presumably did 135 hours of labor within three days, and everything was tolerably up to standards. As such, the ma'am agreed to promote her up. But the penalty will be huge if she can't keep up to standards."

"When can the squirt get promoted again?" Shisui asked.

Otoha pinched the bridge of her nose. "100 hours is the minimum, so she'll have to reach that by tomorrow night. Everything done _perfectly_, then standard wage of 110, minus all the boarding fees. If we continue with Michio's plan, then by the tenth and final day, the girl would have earned a net total of 18,615."

I paled. "That's..."

Otoha turned to me. "You'd still come up short by 1,295 ryou."

"Well," Michio drawled. "What if we just put in more hours? Do more?"

A pause, as Otoha recalculated. "She can pay off her debt on the last day by a narrow margin of 80 ryou... _if she can pull 55 hours a day out of her ass,_" she sarcastically spat.

Michio remained optimistic. "No problem! So far, I can work with Ayae and Sasuke to do about 8 hours per day, the maids another 8, Shishi and his super-fast clones 28, and even you helped us out with 5! If each of us just do an hour and half more per day, we're okay!"

"You are being far too idealistic," Otoha said in monotone. "For one, the difficulty of labor increases as the wage rises. It'd be harder to maintain the same amount of hours. Two, the maids will require another huge bribe for more contribution from them. Three, I'm out."

"What!"

"Why?" I blurted out. I knew Otoha did not like me, but could she not find it in her heart to help a poor girl out? After all, Otoha was assigned to just _watch _me, and Michio handled part that well, making sure Sasuke and I did not set anything spontaneously combusting. So Otoha had been getting a vacation.

"Because," Otoha sneered, "once you moved up to low wage, you have been established as a capable full-time worker of this district. You don't need a baby-sitter anymore. The ma'am removed my position as your supervisor, so I'll be returning my original post."

"Nooo!" In a flash, Michio was straddling Otoha's leg. "No go, no go! Our perfect gang no fall 'part."

An irritated growl. "Aye, I've got a _job_. Besides, I forgot reason four." She flickered her gaze toward Shisui, then Michio. "As hostess, the ma'am will not be amused if two of her guests ain't present tomorrow."

Michio grimaced. "I'm not abandoning honey doll for _that_."

"And in all honesty, I'd rather do D-rank missions for the rest of my life than amuse the devil," Shisui sassed back, giving a thumbs down.

My mind was drawing blanks, out of the loop. Then I realized. "Oh, are you talking about Itachi's tea ceremony?"

"Itachi's _what-_?" Shisui asked, when Michio jumped in. "Ah, yes Shishi, we are _absolutely_discussing the _tea ceremony_discussed so and so days ago, in which we concluded caffeine was necessary for all those long boring speeches about heirs, politics, and government, and all that fun stuff."

That was a suspiciously specific agreement.

"Ooh!" Shisui nervously laughed. "Now I remember. Tea, yup. Good stuff."

"There is no tea, is there?" I deadpanned.

"Tea is a _huge _deal! Why _would _there _not_be, squirt?"

I pouted. "Well, for one, I've noticed all _guests_, except our clan, are gone. Yet, the workers have been _more_busy, and _not_over the tea. Isn't that odd?"

"Err-"

I continued. "I mean, this place is _huge_and _filled _with workers, so it makes no sense to rid the guests over something as small as a tea party... unless this ceremony is _way_bigger than you guys made me believe. More important too. And if so, you two better go tomorrow," I told Michio and Shisui, working under the assumption this _clan_event required the entire _clan._"I can handle things from my end, but Itachi will need support, and I don't want to get you two in more trouble."

All said, I plopped myself on the mattress and folded my arms, thinking over the facts. I had forgotten the ceremony until now. From what I understood, that meant everyone helping me would be gone tomorrow. Well, there went Michio's plan to settle my debt before vacation was up. Still, if I could manage twelve hours by myself, then I could break even and stop more debt. That meant ten minute tops for lunch breaks, and waking up earlier, and sleeping later.

"Speaking of Itachi, how many days has it been now," I mumbled, counting my fingers. "He's been out at least three days. We better make sure he wakes up soon, or risk some major troubles later..." My random rambling trailed off when the three give me incredulous stares.

"What?"

"Squirt," Shisui began. "Just real quickly, tell us what you think is going on."

I blinked. Okay. "Well, for one, I think this 'vacation' is a clan gathering. In Konoha was all my uncles, and here, my aunts, but we're together again because of Itachi's mom and dad. They had a fight, but now they're apologizing in that teahouse. And when they're okay, then Itachi can be indu... indu... whatever it is.

"Um, what else. Oh, and Tomoe's against this, because she wants this heir thing that Itachi's getting. And since she's been wasting time on _me_, right before this big event, I guess I'm the blackmail, or bargaining chip. Really, there's no other explanation. Michio, Sasuke, and I together get _eight _hours, and I'm meant to do _thirteen _by myself? I'd never pay back _ever_, and she knows that. Not to mention she burned money right before my eyes. It has nothing to do with money, but all about this heir thing."

When I was done, there was silence. I wondered if I said something wrong.

Finally, Shisui said, "Michi..."

"Yes capt'n?"

"Those Heaven crash courses, tone it down a little."

"Roger," Michio squeaked.

Shisui turned back to me. "And squirt. Come on, squirt. I would not say _blackmail _or _bargaining chip_. Where do kids get these ridiculous ideas nowadays-"

"So Tomoe writes _thousand page contracts_over wet floorboards as a hobby," I said.

When I saw uncomfortable looks, I sighed. "So, I'm right, right? If so, then I'd like to tell everyone right now: please don't tell Itachi about this. The contract, everything. He'll get really mad, and that's what Tomoe wants. So, when he wakes up, make something up about how we fixed everything."

"And by what methods do you plan to hide the evidence?"

I looked down at my uniform sleeves and frowned. "It'll be hard, but as long as I avoid doing jobs near him, he would not know I'm working. I'll say I'm off to play somewhere. At lunch or dinner breaks, I'll change back to normal clothes, run back to him, and say I was flower picking or skipping stones or whatever."

"Would he not find it odd if your usual insistence for him to play _with_you is not present?"

"Well, I'll ask him once or twice. But he's still healing, so he'll definitely refuse and say he's tired or-"

I froze.

"Then you will be surprised..." The door behind me slid close. "By what he will tell you."

I cursed under my breath.

"Hey... someone's up," Shisui choked out. "How long-"

"Long enough," Itachi said. "The _contract_?"

Shisui stepped back. "Err, about that..."

I turned around. "Listen, Itachi, that's not his fau-"

I stopped. There were bandages wrapped around his neck, around his stomach and chest, arm and hands. Some even peek at his ankle. The sight made my stomach churn. It brought back the sounds of wrung towels and closed medicine boxes, the smell of antibiotics.

I stood up from the mattress and took Itachi by the arm, afraid he would be gone again. His gaze snapped to me.

"Ayae-"

"You shouldn't be up," I said, shaking. "I'll help you back into bed."

"That will not be necessary," he said. I held him tighter.

"No!" I got loud. "No, you had some serious wounds. You need to rest. You have a big day tomorrow and, and..."

"I am healed," he said, now with a harsh edge.

I stood my place. "No, you're not! Look at yourself-!"

I froze when he pulled out a kunai. The kunai swiveled, and in one swift motion, he slashed down. His bandages fell down, revealing unwounded skin. It was a miracle.

I was shocked. Five days to three weeks for minor injuries, three weeks to a year for moderate, a year to never for severe. I may not have learned beyond those basics from my seminars, but I knew that there should be _some_sign of his injury on his skin. A highlight, a scar. No matter how small or unnoticeable, it _will be there_.

But now that I thought about it, I never did see any of that on him. Even the bruises those years back healed like magic the next day.

"I am fine, Ayae," Itachi said.

But I would not believe it. As I clutched onto him, I would have sworn I felt rips against my fingertips, the tears in his skin, the elevation of a burn. Even if I could not see it, I _felt_it. My fingers coursed down his arm. "Itachi... is this...-"

His breathing stopped. Before I could touch him again, he pulled himself away.

"There is nothing, Ayae."

I was speechless. "No..." I left the word hanging as I shook my head. "No, no, I definitely felt that. I felt a gash... that was..."

When Itachi evaded my touch again, I knew.

"You, you're using _genjutsu _on me!" I yelled. "I saw you yesterday. You are not okay. And now you expect me to believe some fairy healed you last night? I don't believe it! You're using genjutsu to hide away all your-"

He held my face.

"Ayae, you are worn down, you are tired, and now, you are becoming delusional," he said, eyes narrowed. "All this has you on wild, farfetched theories, one after another. Obviously, it is far too early for you. Please lie down in my room and sleep. Everything will be resolved when you awaken."

"I..." I searched the other three people in the room for backup. "I... I'm not going crazy, right?" I asked. "He's not healed, right?"

But no one said anything. Itachi looked at them too. They looked at us back and forth, and decided to keep out of our battle. Otoha pretended to hear nothing, Michio fidgeted, and Shisui looked away.

"I..." I clutched my head, the room spinning. It was too early. I was overworked. And maybe I was not thinking straight. But...

_Third time, Sasuke, Ayae. Don't be deceived or swayed by lies. Be able to trust your own senses. They are more reliable than words._

But two of my senses are telling me different things.

_Don't be foolish or dogmatic. Always be open to outside opinions, because they may see what you don't._

And Itachi was so sure. He was right. He was always right. So maybe it was better to stop thinking and blindly do what he says. Had I just listened to him. Had I just waited while he fixed everything. Had I not put on that uniform. Had I not kept trying to help and make everything worse.

I was tired, and I wanted to crawl into a futon, take a deep breath, and sleep. Now that Itachi was awake, he could take care of everything. He was the responsible one. It did not matter if he was always cleaning up after me, and it did not matter if I hated it, because it was not like _I could do anything_.

I wanted to cry.

Noticing this, Itachi's expression softened. "I will help you to my room," he whispered, and extended a hand.

I looked at his hand. I nodded and took it.

When our palms closed around one another, I smiled...

… and employed Hot Springs Technique 104 and slammed his sorry butt down on the mattress.

"You must be really straining to stay conscious if _I_can pull one over you, huh? If so, then I suggest you stop wasting your chakra on a damn genjutsu."

His eyes widened, as I pinned him down.

To answer his question, I spat, "You forgot that mark Tomoe left on your pretty face."

Itachi had missed it. The line on his cheek, the scrape by a naginata.

"Listen, Itachi," I said, shaking. "I spent three days in hell. I'm tired, I'm angry, and I'm going crazy. I don't even know what I'm doing, or why anymore. All I know is that I really want to punch someone right now, and as your _friend_, I ask you to please _don't make me hurt you_."

And a bag full of hurt came in three ways: lying to me, ignoring me, ditching me. Itachi was smart enough to know if he kept up the Ayae Exclusion Act, we were going to have problems. So when he conceded, I sighed and let him go.

Only to find my back slammed against the mattress, my arms pinned down.

"You do not understand what a dangerous position you are in, Ayae," he said lowly, his eyes boring into mine.

"You-!"

"I am giving you one last chance to sleep in my room, or I will take you there by force."

My patience wore thin. Three, two, one...

Headbutt-no-jutsu saved the day again. He evaded. I leaped back up. I put on my best intimidation face and pointed a finger. "_I'm_the one in the dangerous position? Look at _you_. You can barely stand, barely restrain _me_, currently using lousy genjutsu make-up, and you expect to show up at tomorrow's ceremony in this condition?"

I was tossed back down. Gravity was not working with me today.

"Exactly. The ceremony is tomorrow," he said. "You must break out of your contract with Tomoe before then."

"For hell's sake, stop worrying about me and start worrying about your own butt!" I screamed.

"_No_. The Laws of Miyako protect you, Ayae," he strained to tell me. "They are merciful laws, and all duties must obey the jurisdiction of the district. You do not _understand_."

"Make me understand."

He could not.

He was fatigued, stressed, as he removed himself from me and distanced away. "You will not. I was reckless, I made a mistake, and I will now resolve this. Please sleep, Ayae. "

I did not take that well. Steamed, I stomped after him until I was in his face. "I swear, Itachi, I am insulted that you can't see me as anything besides luggage. I'm not leaving. We're getting through this _together_."

"We're all in this together," came a sing-songy voice.

We turned to Michio. I remembered we were not alone.

"Good morning, dear cousin," Michio curtsied to Itachi. "A pleasant day for a sparkling bottle of friendship, is it not? Now that you are awake, I believe it is time to return Miss Ayae to your care. Although, if I may, your tactless antics are a little too missing on the _caring_and a little too successful on the _upsetting._Perhaps _I _should keep-"

I found the backscratcher and lodged it in Michio's skull. "I don't have time for this!"

A pout. "You mean we don't have time for _his_indecisiveness," Michio said. "No due respect, but I do believe we have a schedule to keep up. Either _he _can help, or return to his royal nap."

Before I could get a word in, Michio latched onto my hand and dragged me to the door. "C'mon, honey doll!"

With a scoff, Otoha left. "I'm off for breakfast."

Shisui looked back and forth. "Err, yeah, I'm hungry too. Wait for me, song bird!"

They disappeared. That left Michio and I in a tug-o-war by the door. "I told you, I'm not leaving Ita-"

"No! Schedule!"

Itachi closed his eyes. "It is futile. Conserve your energy."

With a grin, Michio pulled out my work scroll. "Futile? Psh, once I get _serious_, I can do a _hundred _hours a day." To me, he flashed a smile. "Trust me, I will pull you out of this yet." My grip on the door ledge gave away, and I was whisked away into the hallways.

The door slid shut behind us.

Sixty seconds later, the door slid open again, as Michio dragged me back in.

"Okay, what you do to the words," Michio accused Itachi, holding up a blank scroll. My work scroll contained an updated list of all the tasks Tomoe assigned me. It gave the duty, location, amount of hours, so forth. Once a task was done, the scroll replaced it with new ones. Once or twice, the scroll grew short, but never was it _blank_.

Itachi seated himself on the mattress in a meditative state. "Nothing."

"Don't give me that! You may not want honey doll working, but putting genjutsu on her work scroll blank is plain obnoxious."

"I did not," Itachi said.

"Are you saying that on one of the busiest days of the year, Lady Tomoe has no work left?"

"No, there is plenty of work around this inn. Only Tomoe did not assign any of them to Ayae."

"But why in hell would-" Michio came to a screeching halt. The _oh crap_expression settled in. "But Lady Tomoe wouldn't-"

"She already has."

Michio collapsed on the mattress. "My plan no work?" he said. Then he broke down, sobbing hysterically. "Honey doll is trapped. Michi could not help. Michi so useless!"

I jumped to my toes. "No, no, you're not, I mean you were... you're not," I tried my spazzastic way of comforting him. "It's alright. So we miss a few hours. We'll just use the time to grab some breakfast. It's great, actually."

My comforting did not work. Michio shook his head, tears and snot dripping everywhere. I snapped at Itachi. "_What_is your problem. Michio's plan was working fine until you-" I stopped myself.

"Until I woke?" Itachi said.

I winced. Bad choice of words. I wanted to prove that I could handle myself without Itachi, not sound like his presence alone had the magical power to worsen my life, which, despite the coincidence, was _not _true.

"I did cause this," Itachi said, closing his eyes. "Lady Tomoe sensed I had awaken, and responded accordingly. Although, this is only the inevitable. She would have retracted your duties, regardless."

"But if Lady Tomoe wants to make me miserable, why would she stop giving me work?" Just when I thought I had it figured out, everything stopped making sense again.

"To stop you from fulfilling your contract."

"But why?"

"That question, you have already answered."

I have? I had done more thinking in the past week than in my life, and my brain juices ran dry. When I came up with zip, nada, Itachi sighed and answered for me. "You are a bargaining chip. And to bargain, you must be under Lady Tomoe's full possession. There can be no possibility of you earning your own freedom."

His words did not sink in. "But I can," I said. "The contract says if I do enough hours, I earn my freedom." That was why I did not want Itachi to know. I wanted to earn my own freedom, not have it exchanged for something at his expense.

"And should Lady Tomoe decide to not give you any hours for one year?"

I paled. I needed twelve hours to break even. If I go one day under, my debt will go up from board and food.

"By now, you must have understood that _hour_is not a measure of time. It is a unit that quantifies the worth of labor. Likewise, _wage_guarantees nothing of your pay at the end of the day. It is only a measure of competency.

"This law was established to encourage labor. No one will be motivated to work if one will earn 60 ryou per hour regardless of what he does, but this new method ensures that the more one works, the more one is rewarded.

"Currently, you have exploited this law, completing fifty hours of work a day to pay off your debt sooner. However, Lady Tomoe can equally exploit this law. By withdrawing all tasks, you have no means of ever repaying."

I believe now was the time to join Michio in the sobbing corner.

"You're telling me..."

"I am saying," Itachi whispered, as he extended a hand to me, "you should be treated well during your stay."

I stared at his hand. Defeated, I took it.

Itachi whisked me away to his room. His _real_room in the center of the main inn, the room that was two stories high with chests of mahogany, walls of calligraphy, and a big open door that led to a garden courtyard.

It was there that a row of servants came at single beckon, and he ordered a meal, a set of clothes, and... a tub.

"What the hell-"

He knelt down. "This process would be much quicker if you did not struggle."

"No! Gimme my foot back!"

He did not. My bare foot got dunk in a tub of warm water. A shiver went up my spine. While Itachi washed my feet, the servants reclined the chair I was roped to, and gave me, oh, how thoughtful, a pillow.

"Pork or fish," one of them asked me, smiling.

"How about a roasted kunai to nail him with?" I said, kicking furiously. I was pleased when I splashed Itachi. To my surprise, he got back at me. A wet cloth slammed against my face.

The cloth peeled off my face.

My jaw dropped. "Oh no, you did not just-!"

"Yes, I did."

I was at a loss for words when he went on to wipe my face. For once, his eyes were not focused, only gentle.

"Please tell me you didn't just clean my feet with that cloth."

He chuckled. He gave my hands a wipe down, then straightened my chair, and showed me the piles of towels.

"There are calluses on your heels and toes, so I gave them an ointment," he said, lifting up my feet and patting them dry. "There is no need for it anywhere else."

When he loosened my ropes, I rubbed my cheek. "Then what'd you put on my face?"

"Nothing. That was just water."

"Was there something there?"

"Yes," he said. "Your stubbornness was showing."

He helped me down the chair. I wiggled my toes when they touched bamboo floor. It felt nice.

A banquet was set up on his table. Itachi did not eat much. I pigged out. My diet at Miyako had been porridge, porridge, and porridge, with a side of fruit, biscuits, and more porridge. By now, even vegetables smelled good.

I tensed when I heard a knock on the door, but it was only a worker. She brought in a stack of laundry.

"My clothes!" Biting down on my chopsticks, I readied to snatch them. But then, I stopped. I took hold of my chopsticks again. I ignored the worker, and focused on bringing another slice of pork to my bowl.

Itachi took the load off the worker. When we were alone again, I mumbled, "Contract says I can't wear those."

He looked through the stack. "The pink dress looks lovely," he said, ignoring me.

"You can try it on if you want," I said, sticking out my tongue.

"...on you," he said, handing me the stack.

I did not take it. "You know, I think I'm in the mood for yellow."

"Would you like me to find you a yellow dress, then?"

"Depends. Is it mid-length with tied up sleeves, and comes with brown pants and a matching bandana?"

His expression hardened. "Ayae, it's over."

"No, it's not. And I don't want to be punished for taking off my uniform."

"Lady Tomoe will harm you no more." His voice was absolute.

"Oh, that I know. She got nothing on me." I blew up a cheek and flexed my biceps. Then, I got serious again. "I'm worried about you, okay? Are you ever going to let down that genjutsu?"

Wrong words.

A brick wall slammed between us. I lost him, and the rest of my breakfast was in silence. When I could not stand the awkwardness anymore, I tried to lite a conversation again.

I told Itachi about Otoha and Michio. I talked about his brother, and the fiascoes Sasuke and I went through. I told him about the cool techniques I learned too.

"... I mean, I don't want to brag or anything, but seventy-two situps in a minute is pretty impressive, if I may say myself. Of course, I lost to that darn brat, but he was all you trained him this, you trained him that, of course a girl can't compare, ugh, such a stuck up," I babbled on, popping a salted peanut in my mouth.

"Would you like me to train you then?"

I did a spit-take.

"_No!_"

"Okay," he said.

"No, no, no." I finished choking. "No, as in someone must have switched your brain while no one was looking, because you did _not_just offer to train me. Yes. Yes. I would love to have the chance to pummel you to a pulp."

"How about right there," he asked, nodding to the courtyard.

I knew it was too good to be true when he added, "It might get a little dirty." My clothes were still on his lap, a casual shirt and pants on top this time.

Damn. He got me good. It took a whole two seconds of mental debate, before I gave in and snatched my clothes. I was hopping into my pants as I dashed to the door.

"Well?" I stepped outside, giving my shirt a firm tug.

He flickered to my side and asked, "What do you know of Heaven?"

"Mental perception," I said, smirking at my use of obnoxiously smart-sounding big words.

He was surprised. "Of Earth?"

"Physical capacity."

"How about yin and yang?"

"... err... the black and white circle thing?"

"Yes, the circle thing."

"Um, that it's probably something good for you, and if it came in a vitamin bottle, I should probably take a few?"

Itachi chuckled.

"Yin and yang," he said, tracing a circle in the dirt, "the dynamic equilibrium between two opposite forces of a mutual whole, forever cycling, revealing what was once obscured, obscuring what was once revealed."

"Yin." He closed his eyes and his body unraveled to his first form, hand and footwork delicate. "Passive, diffusive, conservative..."

"Yang." His hand was a slicing knife at my neck. "Aggressive. Focused. Destructive." With each word, he took another step forward in my direction and gave a sharp strike, but nothing I could not step back away from.

He relaxed his stance. "Opposition. Would you like a try?"

I beamed. "Alright."

Itachi went into a basic form, and I copied. His foot shifted, and his hand extended. I yelped, staring cross-eyed at the fist before my face. Oh, so he was serious.

Itachi took another step. "Yang." Another strike. "Giving."

I held up my hands to block my face. His fist made a small thud in my open palms. I peeked open an eye. "Um, yin? Receiving?"

And that was when I jumped into the program.

"Yang. Advancing." He approached with a chain of offensive forms.

"Yin. Retreating."

"Yang. Extending."

"Yin. Contracting."

"Yang. Rising."

"Eep, falling!" I barely ducked the high kick, then rolled and dashed off to find a weapon. "Yang, directing!"

"Yin, following."

Beneath a plum tree, I jumped and used my weight to snap off a branch. With it, I charged. "Yang, attacking!" And I whacked like a madman.

"Yin, defending." He blocked each swing with his arm, retreating from the shades of the tree and into the sunlight again.

"Yang, strengthening!" I slammed the branch as hard as I could.

"Yin, weakening." And the branch met its unfortunate fate, broken and snapped in five areas.

With a pout, I tossed it aside, and with a hop, flip, kick, "Yang, understanding."

"Yin, abstrusing." He disappeared, and I was left in confusion until I heard his voice again, from behind. "Yang, deconstructing."

"Yin, reforming." I tumbled away, spun around, and charged. "Yang, initializing!"

"Yin, terminating." He caught me, and we fell into the ground.

We lied in the grass. Slowly, my breathing and heart rate calmed.

I closed my eyes, enjoying the sunlight against my cheek. I gave a yawn. "I'm guessing this is yin, resting?" I said, folding my hands across my belly.

His fingers tangled into my hair, before he stopped himself. He sat upright. "Would you to sleep inside?"

My eyes snapped open. "Not sleepy," I said. "Let's do that again!"

"Ayae, it would do you good to recover some of the sleep you lost."

"I could say the same about you!" I said, and bolted right up. "Like I don't know that the minute I'm asleep, you're going to Tomoe about my contract."

"Something must be done," he sighed.

"I agree. But I don't like you anywhere near her. Tomoe is such a crazy scary bitch," I moaned, burying my face into my knees. "A total monster."

"Lady Tomoe is... merely acting in our interests."

"You're kidding."

"I am only speaking the truth. Her methods are questionable, but her objectives are properly placed."

"I can't believe this. After everything, you're still defending her."

"Would nothing convince you she is not as bad as you believe?"

"At this point, you can tell me she builds orphanages for abandoned little kittens, and I wouldn't give a damn."

"What if I say she is the reason I am still alive."

"What part of abandoned little kittens do you not-" I stopped, and stared at Itachi as if he had two heads. "_What_?"

Itachi gave a wry smile. "Yin and yang, forever cycling, revealing what was once obscured, obscuring what was once revealed," he said. "Lady Tomoe once saved my life. And, by all likelihood, is currently trying to save yours, Ayae."

.

I did not leave Itachi for the rest of the day. I was not letting him get anywhere near Tomoe, who, oddly enough, left us alone.

Sasuke killed a few eardrums when he tackled his brother. Then, he acted like a chain and metal ball, grabbing onto his brother's arm as he _gushed_about _everything_.

"-and then, and then, she dared to try pretending to be-"

I grabbed the brat and clamp a hand over his mouth. I laughed nervously, holding the thrashing child. Unfortunately, it was like trying to dam a tsunami, and my whole fiasco got out. While Sasuke cradled against his brother on the floor, I felt the undying need to curl up in a corner and die from humiliation. Sasuke went line by line of my dreadful acting career. Never again.

I heard a laugh.

"-and she was so awful, that I was trying really hard to act as if I fell for it, and then we fought, and I completely won, and-" Sasuke got a poke on the forehead.

"Don't go so harsh on Sister Ayae, okay?" Itachi scooped his little brother up. "Be respectful. She is still older."

"_Barely_. Did I mention I won?" Sasuke pouted.

It was the evening. The door to the garden was facing the sun. The way the light hit Itachi's face, there was a health and warm and happiness that no genjutsu could create.

"Eeek!"

The moment shattered.

Michio had been sulking in the corner of Itachi's room, rereading my contract for the nth time. When I turned to face him, he was dancing on tiptoes, jumping away from the scroll as if it were diseased. The scroll was moving on its own. It withdrew tightly, and the seal of an uchiwa fan burned.

I darted over. "What did you do?"

"I-I- nothin!" Michio squeaked, hiding behind me. "I lookin' for loopholes when it do that!"

Itachi dropped Sasuke and approached the contract. Unlike us, he had no fear picking the scroll up and unraveling it.

Like the work scroll, the contract went blank, wiped clean of every number.

"What's going on?" I demanded.

Itachi's face was unreadable, as he exhaled a breath over the contract. The scroll lit on fire. I cried when he dropped the scroll into a porcelain bowl and let the parchment shrivel up and burn to ashes.

"_What's going on_?" I said, more forceful.

"The contract is gone. Lady Tomoe withdrew it," he said. "You are free once more, Ayae."

Michio and I both gawked. I would accuse Itachi, but he was with us the time. And whether he knew something, or was as confused as the rest of us, I could not tell.

Sasuke did not care. He thought the fire was cool and hopped onto his brother's back. "I'm hungry. Can we get some snacks, brother?"

Itachi nodded, and to us, asked, "Would you like to join us?"

I nodded slowly.

Things were my first day at Miyako when Itachi and I sat under the cherry blossom tree: carefree and fun.

Itachi gave giving me a tour of the inn, and all the servants bowed to us as if we ruled the place. We turned at a corridor that opened to big metal doors. Once inside, I stared at all the steel and chrome, the granite and marble, the churns of ovens, the hum of exhaustion machines, the tossing of pans, the scrapes of knife against knife. There was a flood of people in chef uniforms in the hot, steaming, and busy atmosphere.

"Tart's ready in five. Put more oil in that. Scallions in station four! The carrots are ready to be added in eight. Quick, the steamer on nine. Ooh, wonderful job there, that smells yummy."

My jaw hit the floor when I saw who was in charge.

"Thank you, sir."

"_Dad_?"

My dad dipped a finger into almond batter and licked it. "Hm, a pinch of salt, maybe- sweetie!" He dropped everything. Literally, he dropped everything. Including the tray of meat buns in his hands, of which one of the cooks dived down and saved. My dad filed down the aisles, and clamped me in a tight hug.

"Sweetie! How have you been? Enjoying yourself? My, it's been days since I saw you."

"Uh dad? It's almost a week."

"Is that so! Well doesn't time fly," he chirped, then smiled at my friends. "Hello, Itachi. Sasuke, you've grown so big! And look, a new friend!" He took Michio's hand and shook it frantically. "Nice to meet you, I hope you kids are having fun, feel free to come by more often and get treats from us, oh, sorry, I'm Kenta, Ayae's dad, and your name?"

"Michi!" Michio said, returning the nonstop handshake with equal vigor.

"Well, Michi! Everyone, don't just stand there, come in, come in."

We got lassoed into a tour of the kitchen. My dad opened and closed ovens to show us his works, tossed us a few chopped sugar canes from a basket, nearly tripped over three fry cooks, bumped into a baker who screamed and tried to rebalance her dangerously stacked cake, and pressed random buttons on bizarre contraptions for no reason than to have fire or water spew in our faces, because he thought it was cool.

"And this is the _Salamander_!" my dad said dramatically. He pulled down a lever, and a breath of blue flames blew out the aged iron device. He grabbed a pair of mitts and withdrew the tray inside. He showed us sizzling lamb skewers in juicy sauce and heavy seasoning. We all took one, except Michio, who grabbed five.

"So dad, you're good?" I asked in disbelief. I was kinda expecting for him to be miserable or something.

"Good? I'm great! This vacation was the best idea ever," he said, stroking the metal of a grill as if it were a baby. "The technology invested in this place, the smooth efficiency, it's like a lab for pure creation!"

Oh no, he was gushing. Oh no, oh no, oh no. I face palmed. Once my dad gushed, there was no stopping him. And so, he talked on and on, and the snacks piled up in my arms, from honey roasted walnuts to salmon bits on crackers.

"-the hostess was superb! I wouldn't have gotten this without her. The kitchen is closed off to guests, but she told me to use the kitchen to my content."

I choked on my vegetable kabob. "Uhh dad, that hostess... did she do anything else?"

"Oh, what _didn't _she do! Even gave me a pass so I wouldn't be troubled, my own _staff_ to work with, and look, a snazzy uniform so my own clothes wouldn't get stained. Ain't the poofy hat cool? Such a nice girl. She's a food connoisseur too, loved to try all the food and encouraged me to experiment my heart out. Look, plum pudding pie! It's crusty on the outside, gooey on the inside-"

He rambled on and strode ahead, whereas Itachi and I exchanged a look.

I rushed to catch up.

For the rest of the time, I tried to get my dad to say something bad about Tomoe. But she was _perfect_ in his eyes, the kindest, most proper girl ever. My dad was happy. In fact, if he were a customer, he would return at any opportunity.

And then it struck me. No duh. The inn was a business. The place was filthy rich. Obviously it was the paying, satisfied guests that paid for it all. And as the hostess, Tomoe, represented the image of the district.

By the time we left the kitchen, our arms were cradling a mountain of treats.

To Itachi, I growled under my breath. "This proves nothing."

He did not need to reply.

Whatever Itachi was doing, it was working. Everything went from a nightmare to a fairy tale. We had skipping stone contests by the bridge and creek, played echo with the wells, and climbed the peach trees. Inside, Sasuke insisted on hide and seek, and I hopped from room to room, exploring every closet and bamboo shoot and shoji screen of the palace. I sneezed horribly when I tried to hide in a basket of eight starred spices, and dangled on the willow vines with Michio.

Even the dread hot springs that I spent days cleaning were not horrible anymore. They so good, even when Michio decided to cannon ball in, drenching me head to toe.

My night was not spent in scratchy uniforms, but robes. Nor were we cramped into a small space, laying on futons, but in Itachi's bed, which was more than wide enough to fit four kids.

When Sasuke was asleep and Michio was snoring, I latched onto Itachi's arm in my half-asleep state.

Itachi was awake, but he did not try to get out of my grip.

"Stop forcing yourself awake, Ayae," he sighed.

"Promise don't leave when sleep. No Tomoe," I mumbled, my eyelids dropping and snapping back open.

"Lady Tomoe does not concern you now. Your contract is gone, Ayae," he said.

"What you do. Can't prove it, but know you did it."

He said nothing. I gave in, and let my eyelids drop, and snuggle closer into his arm.

When I woke up, it was to the jolt of a nightmare. The moon was full, beaming. It took a while for me to know where I was.

Then I noticed I was still holding onto Itachi's arm. He was asleep. He did not leave. He did not _leave_. I felt a warm buzz, and was about to fall back asleep, when I heard movements outside. My heart thumped. The door to the courtyard was wide open. I did not remember whether we closed the door or not, but I thought we did.

I thought I saw something moving, and a light flared up in the distance.

Slowly, I unraveled myself from Itachi's arm, and tiptoed out of the bed. I stopped only to slip on a pair of sandals. But the night had gotten cold, and I shivered on the path through the garden and gates.

I was not seeing things. The next second, another burst of light soared into the skies. Fire.

I ran down the cobblestone path, past the tea house and bridge, through the swivels and turns of ancient architectures. The bursts of fire guided me to the charred ruins of a garden, with only a few azaleas or tulips here and there, the bare branches of a cherry tree.

I saw a performance that on par with Itachi's in his Chuunin Exam. Only toes and fingers ever touched the ground, in constant, controlled movements. As if floating on air, and yet, each turn and thrust was firm and solid as metal. Sharp, controlled, powerful. A blast of fire punched out from her fist.

Tomoe held a style of martial arts undeniably raw yet elegant, destructive yet beautiful. Claws of fire attacked the wall mercilessly. Tomoe did not just control the fire, like Itachi. Fire served Itachi like a pet, another weapon to be used. Here, the fire was Tomoe herself, the crackles in resonance to her breaths, every burst an extension of her arm.

The grass burned, the lights danced across her face. She did not look cold, or mad, or even sadistic.

Just solemn.

Then, like the beat of spreading wings, a gust blew out all the flames. Her hair blew in the air, and everything fell to darkness.

Itachi waited for me by the gate. In his hands was a lighted lamp. He did not ask questions, only wrapped a blanket around my shoulders.

"Itachi," I said, tightening the blanket around me. "How close are you to Tomoe?"

"Why would you ask that?" he asked, and guided me back inside.

Because for some reason, I thought of the flight of a phoenix that overshadowed the sun. The same raw energy at the Chuunin Exam under Itachi's command was the same power in Tomoe moments ago. "You told me earlier she saved your life. You mind explaining?"

Itachi set the lamp on the table, and settled down. I sat beside him.

I waited, as he contemplated whether to tell me, and if so, how much to tell me. We were in Miyako. The clan was everywhere. Evidence was everywhere. Tomoe was willing to talk. Itachi had reached a point where hiding things was not worth it anymore, and if I going to learn anything, I might as well learn from him.

"Lady Tomoe is the eldest of the three daughters of Miyako," he began. "Her mother died during labor of her last child. When her father died as well, she took his position and duties. She was five, but she burned with pride, ambition, and talent. She was the prodigy of the clan, thought to be have been blessed by the goddess Amaterasu.

"A year later, I was born. The clan was dwindling. The main branch was thinning. I was pure of blood, as was Tomoe. Her parents were dead, mine were alive. She was female, I was male. She was cast aside, and my father was made the next successor as the head of clan.

"By the time I was four, she had as much battle experience as the oldest generals. There was conflict outside, but Konoha wasn't safe then. The clan could not be in the fields and at home. Even my mother was called to duty. So, they assigned Tomoe to protect the children. She invented the candle cloning jutsu, and single-handedly fended off three invasions.

"She failed to save us from the fourth one. Shisui was with us of the time. He was old enough, but he faked an injury to stay behind. Nonetheless, he was mobile, and soon got baited by the enemies to leave the perimeters of Tomoe's protection. She sought for him back.

"That was when the enemies came, and I was taken out of Konoha for the first time."

He watched the flickering light, and I watched him. Michio and Sasuke were asleep on the bed, and the night had gotten quiet. It did not feel like the campfire stories I shared with my classmates. Itachi was not even telling a scary story, but it felt like one.

Itachi closed his eyes. "Tomoe was faced with a choice. Stay in Konoha or find me. The lives of the posterity of the clan, or the life of the next heir. In the end, she thought they were dispensable, I was not. She chose me."

I was holding my breath. "She..."

"She made the wrong decision," Itachi said. "A massacre followed. Shisui was good at running. He hid in the lake. By the time ANBU saved him, he nearly drowned. But he was the only one to live. Tomoe also endangered her own life. She cut my chains in a burning building. Both their eyes changed from the experience."

"I was the result of everyone's sacrifice," Itachi whispered, capping a metal lid over the lamp. Instantly, the flame inside began to dim. "But it was a wrong sacrifice. By the time I returned, I could not pick up a single kunai."

The fire was shaking. It died to a glow, a small orange tip.

"My father tried, my mother tried, the doctors and teachers all tried. I was the flame that suffocated in itself before it could grow. It wasn't long before the elders told my parents to have another heir. Tomoe was righteously angry. I shamed her."

"You're lying," I said. I unwrapped the blanket around myself. "You're making this whole thing up. You're the strongest kid in the clan, not Tomoe."

"Am I?" he asked. "You have seen the limits of my strength, Ayae. More times than my pride would like to allow. You have not seen hers."

"Then how did you..."

"Things change. Sasuke was born. Konoha changed. The clan changed. The Konoha district and the Miyako district flowed like a river, diverging and uniting throughout history. Unified at the time, they split once more. Tomoe left for Miyako, but not before she could fix her mistake."

"What did she do?"

"This." Itachi uncapped the lamp, and the glow of the wicker grew back to life. After a blow, the fire burst back to its original size, if not more lively.

Itachi turned to me. "Was your contract painful, Ayae?"

"If by that you mean are my muscles aching, yeah."

"By the end of my contract, mine were too. Only they weren't physical."

My eyes bulged. "She bound _you _to a contract?"

"It served its purpose. I strengthened, I could fulfill my duty once more, my parents and my clan refound their next heir. Lady Tomoe was my superior and my mentor, my protectorate and my mistress. Like a broken vase, she mended me, put my back together, and I would forever be in her debt." He smiled, a delicate kind. "However, sometimes, I wish she didn't discard some of the pieces."

"What-"

He turned to me. "The clan lost their children. Your father was in financial trouble. Two years after Lady Tomoe left, you arrived. It was only then that I fully saw what parts of myself that Tomoe had thrown away. And understood why it was best that she did."

"How, but I-"

He stood up and placed the blanket back over my shoulders. Before I could protest, he blew out the fire, and led me back to his bed.

"It is late, Ayae. No more stories," he told me. Then he chuckled, "I hope I did not scare you too much."

**.**

I woke up panting for breath.

A chill ran down my body. The feelings of the nightmare were still there. I could still remember the beam of a full moon, the waters of a river, and running in frozen fear of my life and the cold splash of a lake. It felt like a chase, and something sharp went through my stomach before I woke up.

I collapsed back on the bed, and brought a hand to my forehead. I was sweating.

"Oh damn, Itachi, you... lost all rights... to telling me any more... bedtime stories..." I gasped, hiding my face behind a pillow, and hugging it tightly.

I rolled in bed, forcing the bad dream to go away. It was only when I heard the distant echo of the gongs that I realized I was alone. I looked outside, and saw how high the sun was.

"Crap!"

I changed as quickly as I could, then dashed down the hallways toward the biggest clan event.

I expected a crowning and a celebration. By the time I reached the upstairs balconies, I found a funeral.

Everyone was in black, as a coffin paraded down the main gates of Miyako and into an ancient temple. They marched in rows and columns, everything solemn and formal.

The most important people were in the front of the big Uchiha banners. There was Itachi's father, his mother, and Itachi. Sasuke was hidden further back, and even further down the line was Shisui. Tomoe stood in front of the second banner, with several women and Michio behind.

Three of the clan elders were also present. They made the speeches.

I decided it was best to watch from where I was, inside. I watched the clan file one by one into the temple with the coffin. They offered a white rose, or a sword, or a seal, a slow moving process that lasted for two hours before the main branch paid their last respects and the doors locked close.

I was a little scared at first. I could not figure out who was in the coffin.

It was only when Itachi's father was declared as the _new _head of the clan, that I realized who was missing: the _old _head of the clan. The elder with the grey hair, traditional clothes, standing tall and dignified. Who I bumped into the first day at Konoha.

I watched people stand for hours and say words that I could barely hear. I lost interest and focused on my friends.

Shisui was actually _still_, which blew my mind. Sasuke was a better kid than I expected, though he squirmed now and then. Granted, it was late in the afternoon, and he had probably been standing since early morning.

Auntie Mikoto caught my attention the longest. She looked different, more foreign in the way she stood so grimly. My gaze flashed past Itachi's father and down to Itachi. From the distance, he looked fine, not a single injury in sight.

I knew better. Michio was not the only one who could change his appearance. I read about genjutsu in class. Itachi performed genjutsu in front of everyone at the examination. It made me wonder how long he had been doing it. It made me wonder if I had seen his real face _ever_.

My gut twisted.

I forced myself to look at someone else. Michio stood out. He always stood out, a head of white curls amongst a field of black, skin a darkened tan. It reminded me some story about a black sheep in a herd of white. It did strike me as odd seeing him in uniform. The bangles remained, barely hidden under the Uchiha uniform. I had gotten so used to him in his weird clothes of dirty tanks and short shorts.

And finally, Lady Tomoe. But before I could look at her properly, there was clapping. Colors flipped, red and white banners rising from the black.

"... the new heir!"

Itachi stepped up, and took the place of where his father stood earlier.

I strained my ears to hear what the elders were saying. "If there will be no objections, from this day forth, Uchiha Itachi will be the next successor as the clan head of the Uchiha!"

Itachi kept his silence.

My gaze dashed to Tomoe. She was grinning.

I held my breath, almost expect her to step up and say...

Nothing?

She said nothing.

I exhaled in relief. If there was anything to worry about, it was Tomoe fighting for Itachi's position, but she held her silence. Meanwhile, the elder went on. I was surprised when Tomoe was summoned to Itachi's side.

I could not hear what the elder was saying. I leaned out of the edge of the balcony, so far that I nearly fell off when the next shout was, "If there will be no objections, from this day forth, Uchiha Tomoe will be the next successor as the head lady of the Uchiha!"

My heart was thumping, as I clung onto the banister for dear life, trying to get footing on the right side of the balcony. Clan lady? Was she also promoted to some fancy spot-

All noise stopped.

The elder stopped and the masses froze. I whipped around to see Michio about to tumble over, Shisui dropping his jaw, Sasuke hiding, Itachi's father and mother going into shock.

"What did you say?" the elder demanded.

"I said, I object," Tomoe repeated, and the rest of the order collapsed.

"Will you clarify your objection?"

"Under section twenty of the original Uchiha law, the head lady must be the strongest woman of the heir's generation..."

"Uchiha Tomoe. Are you suggesting you are _not_the strongest woman of the heir's generation?"

Tomoe smirked. "I am. You did not let me finish. Under section twenty of the original Uchiha law, the head lady must be the strongest woman of the heir's generation of _whom the heir can defeat_. To this day, Uchiha Itachi has not defeated me."

"That will change today." Heads turned to Itachi's father. His statement was firm, stone cold, even dangerous to the point his wife and youngest son flinched.

Tomoe was not intimidated.

"Need not be rash," she said. "If Uchiha Itachi wishes to prove my claim incorrect, he may very well challenge me to an official duel right now. Although I am sure everyone here knows of section seven of the law, and of the dire consequences of when the heir loses such a challenge."

"You speak too boldly," Itachi's father warned.

"I speak only in the interest of your son," she said calmly, her gaze up front. "Surely you understand the gap in our age and skill. Is it not wiser to have him reclaim me when he has fully matured, than to permanently relinquish his title as heir to me, a woman?"

She managed to silence the new head of the clan.

"Uchiha Itachi," the elder called. "Do you refute her allegations?"

Itachi closed his eyes. "No, sir."

The crowd mumbled. Michio was practically dancing on his toes, and exchanged a nervous look with Shisui, who looked distressed. Sasuke shriveled and disappeared altogether. Itachi's father looked like he was ready for murder, and I could not tell who was on his hit-list: Tomoe, or his own son for not defending himself.

The elder banged his cane on the ground for order. "Uchiha Tomoe is correct. If Uchiha Itachi does not refute her allegations, then she does not qualify as the title of the head lady. Who are the other candidates?"

Whispers, before, "Sir, the age gap extends too far. The women of the clan are already engaged or married, those in the womb cannot be determined, and the blood of Uchiha Mikazuki cannot qualify..."

More mumbling.

That was when an unlikely voice spoke up.

"I nominate Uchiha Ayae."

I thought I fell off the balcony and died, because I did _not_just hear my name.

All attention was on Aunt Mikoto, who had stepped up. "I nominate her as the successor to my title."

"This girl, what is her lineage?" the elder asked.

Tomoe answered her call of duty. "Father, Uchiha Kenta. Grandfather, Uchiha Hisoka. Great-grandfather, Uchiha Wataru."

The elder raised both his eyebrows. "Uchiha Wataru was powerful in his days. Uchiha Rumi was a formidable woman. What is her age?"

"Ten years old." The words rolled sweetly off her tongue.

"And the results of her duels?"

"Zero losses."

The elder looked pleased, until Tomoe chuckled, "And zero wins."

The frowns deepened. The elders contemplated. "Uchiha Itachi, you have never challenged this girl?"

"No, sir."

"So you have not assessed her skills."

Itachi clenched his fist. "I have, sir."

"And?"

"She will not defeat me, sir."

"Well then, I believe today is a fine day for a fire duel. Where is this girl?"

"With all due respect, sir," Itachi said. "Uchiha Ayae is still gaining an academic education. She is not properly trained for a duel."

"Uchiha Itachi, if you find this girl below your taste, you may always challenge Uchiha Tomoe. In either case, a new head lady must be decided today."

Meanwhile, a shadow emerged from the hallways. There was the flicker of candlelight, and Tomoe stepped out. Her eyelids lowered, she watched my pitiful situation, as I struggled to keep myself from falling off.

"Last chance to run away, little Ayae," the clone told me. Her fingers traced the banister, but she stopped before she reached me. She did not try to pull me up.

"What are you talking about," I demanded. What did she want from me? Bind me to another contract? Push me off the balcony?

"The heir bought your contract yesterday, then burned it and freed you," she said. "If you do not run away from him now, then that will be your own foolishness."

I froze. "What? Itachi was with me all day."

I did not realize how stupid I sounded. Tomoe was not the only person who could make clones.

"Itachi, you freaking liar," I moaned, half wanting to strangle him, half wanting to bang my head against the banister. "Do I even want to know how in debt I am to him now?"

A lot of zeros for that katana. More for the boarding. Then the damages. Then the contract. If this totaled above a million, screw it. I could live with being a freeloader.

"Maybe nothing, maybe everything," Tomoe chucked, tilting her head. "You see, our exchange was simple: the girl of the contract for the _insurance _of that girl in the contract. He and I are in a gamble. He bet he could protect you, keep you safe. And I, I bet that you would _break and be slaughtered like the twenty-seven girls of the Uchiha before you_."

She stunned me so quickly I nearly slipped and fell off. Tomoe caught me, hung me by the wrist.

"The heir is foolish to think he can both be far and close to you at the same time. Cannot be with you, cannot be without you. It leaves you not only involved, but unprotected as well. I tried to amend this situation. I tried to force you out; you would not have it. I tried to contract you in; the heir would not have it. But this is only denying the inevitable, and you both will lead to your own doom.

"The heir must decide today. Keep the girl, or let her go. Equally, I give you the same choice: will you run?" the clone asked me, beckoning to the hallway behind her. "Or will you stay?" And ten meter drop lie ahead.

My mouth was open, but I could not say anything.

Thankfully, I could force out my answer a little faster than Itachi could, because after the elder demanded for the third and final time, Itachi opened his eyes and...

"Hi."

I could barely regain my footing after being flickered across a courtyard. I balanced myself, waved to him and my audience.

Itachi was genuinely shocked. "Ayae, how did you-"

"Um, word has it you need a girl lead for this play," I laughed nervously, scratching my head. "And you know, since I kind of owe you... Yeah, please don't beat me up too badly."

.

"Ow, ow, ow!" I whined, as Michio dabbed my cheek with a cotton ball.

"Wah, honey-doll so cute in a duel," he giggled. "Even if she sucks epically."

"He shot _fire _at me!" I cried indignantly. "I did _not _sign up for _that_."

"You don't have a single burn," Otoha scoffed, dropping my arm. She packed up the medical kit, and left me alone with Michio, who happily bandaged me from head to toe.

"Cousin dearest was sweet," he said, beaming with a mouthful of crooked teeth. "I don't think anyone but Shishi and I noticed the layer of water he coated you with."

"You mean that wasn't my super yin evasion skills?" I said, furiously unraveling my bandages, but Michio wrapped me faster than I could unravel. Before long, I was mummified.

"Mhhm!"

Pleased, Michio took out a pair of scissors and in one cut, rid me of my cocoon. "Congratulations, Miss Ayae. Starting today, you are the butterfly of our clan, the next clan lady!"

"Wonderful. Great. I'm ecstatic," I deadpanned, shedding the bandages off. They were unneeded. The most I had was a bruise, and honestly, the blow was weak compared to the ones from Hana or Gin.

My fight did not hurt anything except my ego. The entire battle felt like a dance I did not rehearse for, and by time I could figure out the moves, my back was already flat against the ground, his fist at my face, the flames retreating. Then, Itachi softened, apologetic, just before he blasted one final burst of fire at me

Suddenly, someone stood behind me. I found something silvery around my neck.

"This is just formalities," Itachi murmured. "Please do not lose it."

I raised an eyebrow at the necklace, and the ring looped in it. "So what, this my reward for being the runner-up?"

Michio burst out laughing and rolled on the round.

"What?"

But Michio was too busying pounding his fist on the floor to answer. Itachi did not answer either. He looked away.

"It will be a loan."

I fiddled with the ring, a pout on my lips. I was disappointed. The ring was very pretty. It looked expensive too. "M'alright." I said, tucking the necklace under my shirt. "So, what exactly does this clan lady thing do ag-"

Before he could answer, someone scooped me off my feet and pulled me into a warm hug. The smell was welcoming, and familiar, right down to the softness of her hair.

"Ayae dear, my brave little girl," Aunt Mikoto laughed, her eyes joyous as she set me down and pulled back my hair. "You've grown so much. So much taller!"

Well, that made me swell up like a balloon. "Yes, yes!" I agreed. "Did you know last month, I grew a centimeter?"

"Did you! Tell Auntie all about it. Where is your father? How have you been these years? How is school?" She led me by the hand away, and I chatted on.

My life went back into place again. Auntie was back. Sasuke was back.

My dad spent a hearty noon bonding with Itachi's father and the rest of the clansmen in the form of fishing. Fishing was the traditional way to bro-bond within the clan. Of course, my dad caught the biggest fish every single time, while Itachi's dad just grumpily sat there without a single sardine. It was the bad aura, I believed, that scared the fishies away.

Across the fields, Shisui readied his samurai armor, and battled with Michio in fight of epic proportions, involving much dramatic speeches and flashy, useless attacks each with a name longer than the last one.

"Super-duper-saiyan-kame-hame-ha-blast-of-DOOM!"

"Super-duper-saiyan-kame-hame-ha-blast-of-ULTIMATE -DOOM!"

As for me, I had one of the best times of my life, between all the feasts and winding Katsura, the fields and meadows and a new cluster of friends. Everything was so good, that I could not believe I had to leave.

It was only when everyone was packing up the ox wagons again, that a stack caught my eye. An entire pile of untouched textbooks, scrolls, and papers after papers.

"Oh crap, FINALS!"

Michio hopped on board the wagon, and grabbed the top sheet, reading out loud the list of subjects. "The First Great Ninja War. Fractions and problems of battle strategy. Fine literature and poetry. The kawarimi, basic facts and hand seals. Performance in track, balance, shuriken accuracy…" Michio quieted. Then, he dropped the sheet, letting it glide down.

Then, he laughed. "Ahaha, oh MAN! This is so easy! We'll ace this, honey-doll!" he said, giving me a good pat on the back.

"Are you kidding," I wailed, cracking open my history text and frantically flipping through the pages. "I didn't study at all. I don't even remember any of it." Stupid Tomoe, stupid contract, stupid inn. Oh damn, oh da-

I turned my head to Michio."Wait, did you just say _we_'ll ace this?"

"Yuppers," he cheered.

"What-" And that was when Otoha climbed into the wagon with us along with Shisui. The number of oxen doubled, and the women of Miyako were packing their stuff, strapping their scrolls and vases and even mirrors.

"Oh no," I said. "Please don't tell me..."

By the main Miyako gate, Tomoe held up the seal of tiger, bowing to a line of servants, who in returned, bowed back. In a woman's hand was a key. Meanwhile, Tomoe was out of her traditional garbs. Her hair was in a humble braid, her shoes standard ninja sandals, her clothes a casual shirt and pants under the jacket of heavy black kimono, the emblem of the Uchiha clan blowing in the wind.

"And Uchiha clan reunites once more. The ma'am will be coming home with you... brat," Otoha sneered, thumping me in the back of my head.

"WHAT!"

"Exams, squirt?" Shisui hopped behind me, overlooking my shoulder. "Got your mnemonics on?"

Michio grinned. "Got your Sharingan on?"

"Hey, hey, it's not cheating. Just utilizing one's best ability to photographically speed read... though, looking back on it, not such a good idea," Shisui said, boggling his head. "You ready to pass your first three bars, Michi?"

Michio folded his arms. "Nah, I think the first is good enough for now," he said, hanging an arm across my shoulder. "I think I liken to be in honey-doll's class."

I gave my second "WHAT!" of the day.

Okay, okay, back up, back up...

Just WHAT?

Before I knew it, the Miyako district was getting smaller in the distance, all servants except Otoha saluting their farewells.

And I, sitting on a racketing wagon, books tossed in the air with every bump, desperately tried to cram in for my final. Itachi flashed in with us. Seeing me, he gave a sympathetic smile, and released me from my igloo of scrolls.

"I believe I am in your debt after this week," he said, raveling the scrolls back up.

"Hey, I need to study those-"

"Leaves revealed bare bones," he said, ignoring me, "never was there such pity, sorrows of the lost."

I felt like a broken record now. Maybe I should ask my dad to invent a button that says "What?" every time I press it.

"White seasoned the fields," Otoha said, not looking up from the book in her hands, "stillness of the lake, frozen, a lovers' boat hushed."

"Wind carries glory!" Shisui could not help himself. "The sprout of a dashing youth, the blooming maiden."

"The throes of passion!" Michio dramatically gestured. "The sun rekindles my heart, a phoenix reborn!"

I fumbled with my papers, and hung an eyebrow when I found the poem passages. "You guys have got to be kidding me." I was surrounded by nerds!

Otoha scoffed, and flipped a page of her book. "This is elementary poetry. Only an uneducated lowbrow would have not learned of them."

"Oh yeah?" I challenged. But at her raised eyebrow, I clamped shut my mouth.

Meanwhile, Itachi looked through my books, then he tugged free some paper and a pencil. "I believe mathematics is your weakest point, but it is also the easiest to strengthen."

"Ooh, ooh! I call dibs on helping honey-doll with balance!" Michio exclaimed, already on his hands, his toes wiggling behind his ears. "Bitesize wouldn't mind having a shuriken study-buddy either!"

Hope flickered in my eyes. I might just pass this yet.

Until I got to my first fraction, and my eye twitched at the horrid numbers.

Yeah, I was screwed.


	18. Return Arc: The Practice of Talent

"YOU'RE ALIVE!"

I saw the blur of a red cap before I was tackled into the dirt.

"Gin! What are you doing here?" I asked, looking up at the gate of the Uchiha district.

"Finals!" he exclaimed, as he helped me up. "Hurry, we better get good seats!"

I blinked, not understanding his finger countdown. Miyako was still fresh in my memory, and my brain had been rewired. Even my own friend looked strange.

But then, I got it. "THREE, TWO, ONE!"

We ran to school. We slammed against the front door of the building within seconds of each other, but the sound was still two distinct thumps. I won.

"Damn, and I trained hard too," he sighed, tugging his cap back in place. "But heh, guess you're ready-" He stopped when his face smacked into someone's back.

Gin and I stood confused at the human traffic in the school hallways. Every student, old and young, was fighting to see out the windows.

"What's going on?" I asked, tiptoeing.

A senior answered for me. "Only the hottest babe of the century destroying every chuunin examiner at once."

I exchanged look with Gin. Curious, we dropped to our knees and crawled through the mass of legs.

"Oh my gosh, she's so pretty!"

"Gwah, look at that skin!"

"Oh man, what a cool move."

"Go sexy!"

I choked when Tomoe gave a sly grin to her audience, before extending a hand. She stopped her assailant and flipped him in one move. She stood in a field, outnumbered eight to one, in plain civilian clothes and unarmed. And she was beating senseless every last one of her challengers.

"Oh gosh, oh gosh, you see that?"

"How cool!"

I could not stop watching the train wreck. Seconds later, more chuunin fell to the ground. Tomoe did not move from her spot. She did not even blink or change the direction of her gaze.

Finally, Teacher Suzume put an end to the humiliation, when she nudged up her glasses and coughed. "I do believe we've seen enough," she said. All the other proctors agreed.

"Yes, of course," Tomoe said. She punched her fist into her palm as a gesture of respect, and knelt down on one knee. The doctors led the poor chuunin out of the sparring field.

"Miss Uchiha," said one of the proctors, clipboard in hand. "You are already registered in our database with a full ninja license, and yet, you claim to have never _graduated_."

"That is true, sir."

"Will you explain how this is."

"Eleven years ago, I was approved to serve under the eighteen battalion, frontier A. However, I left the village before I ever finished my Academy education."

"Eighteen batta-" The proctor stopped himself. He lowered his clipboard. "Honor to have your return, Uchiha Tomoe. Your genin status will be confirmed momentarily. Likewise, chuuninship after your examination in six months. Any questions?"

"Jouninship, sir."

"That will be far more difficult. A high level of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu is required. Elemental manipulation is a base requirement."

"With all due respect sir, I do believe the Uchiha clan prepares its children with full efficiency, with at least one elemental before the age of eleven, if not as early as seven." Tomoe raised her head. "Our clan has not been represented in the same quantity as former generations, but that does not degrade our quality."

The proctor tensed. "Very well. Information of jouninship will be provided to you. Any other requests?"

"ANBU."

Everyone stood, numb.

"That..." the proctor hesitantly said, "will be up to the discretion of the Hokage."

A hostess smile. "I see Konoha has not changed then."

I had to peel Gin from the window pane, then drag him back to our classroom before the bell rang. Though I snapped my fingers, screamed in his ear, and clapped in his face, he was in a daze. I stole his cap, which did work.

"Hey!" He snatched it back.

"Ayae!" Tamaki waved to me from the window.

I beamed, and was about to join her and the rest of the girls, when I was blocked.

"Hello, honey doll," Michio greeted me, his voice much more low and smooth than usual. Older too. I blinked at this new clothes: military boots, baggy pants, grey tank, and the regular bangles. All topped off with a new trench coat, opened wide. Something about him was different besides the clothes, though, something that made him much more... nice. _Boy-_ish.

But he did not give me time to figure out what, as he planted a kiss on my cheek. In front of all my friends. He winked. "I do believe we will indubitably ace this."

"Um, Ayae? Who's this?"

I opened my mouth, but Michio beat me to the punch. He took Tamaki's hand and placed a ginger kiss on the back of it. "Michio, at your service."

Tamaki blushed. "Kobayashi Tamaki."

"What a lovely name for a lovely young girl."

Said blush intensified by eight shades of red. "Thank you."

Ayame, who was sitting a table behind, asked, "How do you know Ayae, Michio?"

Michio closed his eyes and gave a haughty smirk. "Why, Ayae and I have had a long, personal, and intimate history."

"Of two weeks," I deadpanned.

"Ouch, that is what you say to he who faithfully stayed by your side to heal your tender wounds after your violent lover abused you so?"

My eye twitched. There were so many things wrong with that statement that I did not even know how it could have even came into existence. Unfortunately, my friends latched onto every word.

"Tender wounds-"

"_Violent lover-_"

"What on earth happened?"

"No, that's not- It was a- Itachi's not-" I saw my mistake when the eyebrows of all my friends shot sky high. "No no no, this has nothing- it's not what you think-" When they started whispering, I gave up.

"BAH! Where's that test!" I demanded, tossing my hands up in the air, and filing toward a desk.

Michio dipped his head back in laughter, then whisked to my side. He sat down next to me, much to my irritation.

"Every other seat!" His face met my fist. He skidded over to the other side of the table.

But his grin did not disappear, as he propped up his head on a fist. "No need to be modest, baby."

"Don't I have some fancy clan title now? Can I, like, sentence you to death with it, or something?"

"Hm, dying by the hand of the one you love doesn't seem like a bad way to go."

"That's awful!" I cried.

He chuckled. "Then don't hurt me, honey doll." His smile was sincere. His curls seemed to lap nicely in place. His jacket looked pretty cool. And his teeth were wonderfully straight. As if his aura changed-

Someone sat in between us, and slammed a textbook on the table. The noise slapped me out of my daze.

"Welcome back," Hana greeted, taking my neighbor seat, as she had for the past three years. "I assume you studied well?"

"Err..."

"Don't fail, okay?" she told me, a hand on my shoulder. "I need you and Minoji with me next year."

I watched Hana scan over her history text and notes a final time, before she slapped it close and the teachers came in.

The test began.

I was screwed. Itachi tried. He really did, but we had less than ten hours to cram in a whole year of materials.

Literature, I forgot one of the passages. I wished the dead Daimyo remained dead.

Math was a whole story altogether. Itachi had prepared me best in math, to the point that I thought I knew fractions and all the properties: adding, multiplying, changing that bottom number and the top number and common denominators and stuff. I grinded through the first page with no problems at all.

But then, by the time I got to the word problems, I hit a road block. The first page was not as straightforward, but I got it. The second page involved a lot of calculations. After a while, I started seeing things that did not look like numbers anymore, and eventually...

_The eastern and western divisions are fifty kilometers apart, moving toward each other. The eastern division advances one meter every second. The western division advances three meters every second, stopping in ten minute intervals for three seconds. A messenger shinobi, who can cover ten kilometers within fifteen minutes, with an additional minute every five kilometers thereafter, begins at the eastern division and delivers one letter to the western, then one back to the eastern, and so forth._

_a. How many letters will be exchanged until the two divisions meet._

_b. Given the cycloid path and speed of the spy shinobi in the diagram below, state the latitude and longitude of his starting position to intercept the letter when the divisions are exactly twenty-five kilometers apart._

_c. If, ten minutes in, the western division may dispatch one surveillance kunoichi with a range radius of eighty meters, state and draw the most optimal path she can take to quickest detect and report a spy of any path._

What. Just... _what_?

I yanked at my hair, and turned the page. Blank. End of math.

I glanced up at the clock. An hour left. I still had other sections, but once I turned the next page, I could not go back to math. I looked at the teacher in the front of the room, reading the news to pass the time, then across the room. To the left, Tamaki sat by the windows, in concentration. I could hear Hana pace herself well, not a single pause in her pencil strokes. Gin, somewhere behind, was drumming with his eraser and groaning. At least I was not the only one struggling.

And then...

Michio was leaning back, balancing the tip of a pen on his nose, his test closed.

He was _done_?

He noticed I was looking at him and winked. I broke off eye contact, and returned to my test.

I tried to remember what Shisui and Itachi had told me. This test weighed out to half of my total exam. Shisui told me to not worry; I just needed a fifty points on the written part, and I'd be fine.

I flipped through the pages. Half a point, half a point, one point... I blinked.

The last question was worth _forty-nine_points? I slammed my head on the table. Once I calmed down, I peeled the papers off my forehead.

My eyes bulged out. Magically, the last question was answered. Or rather, it was answered then badly erased, since you could still see everything. And that was _not _my handwriting. Confused, I tried to erase the markings, but they did not go away.

Okay. I was losing it. I was going crazy. Last week, I was shot with one fire arrow too many and suffered an extended concussion. Or maybe it was the math itself. No more. I was done. History time.

I flipped to History, and found every question already had a choice circled. A, A, B, D, A...

Now my heart was pounding, wondering whether to report this to teachers or not. I closed my eyes, then reopened them. The test was new again, not a pencil mark in place. What the...

I did not have time to think about it, and went on. Over time, students soon began handing in their exams and leaving the room. By the time I handed in mine and exited the room, Hana was there waiting for me.

"How'd it go? You seemed pretty stressed half way."

"I probably should have gotten a little more sleep," I laughed nervously.

"And I should have read about the second Daiymo," Tamaki growled as she entered the hallways with us. "Number thirty was eight hundred years right?"

"That's what I put," Hana said, pocketing her hands. "You're out earlier than usual."

"Either I knew it or I didn't, and some I definitely did not know," Tamaki said bitterly. These tests were her forte, how she kept up her rank throughout the years, and I could tell she was not happy. "Figure I could not waste time on problems I didn't know. Seals origin, C?"

"C," Hana confirmed. "You got the ordering for the clone?"

"No, I only studied what we went over in review. What was with that math one?"

Hana closed her eyes and exhaled. "Oh, that. The points made it look really tempting but it was just a time distractor. I _tried_part A. I skipped B and C because it was best to invest my points elsewhere."

"Can you explain to me A? I tried a picture, but it became too much."

With a nod, Hana unclipped her backpack and took out a notebook. "How I approached, I plotted only the major intervals. After conversion, I turned these three as rates with this number divided by this number, then calculated this distance with alpha as my placeholder, and..." Hana dragged a pencil across the papers, writing down columns upon columns of numbers and symbols. Tamaki squatted down, trying to understand. I did not bother.

"That's wrong. It isn't one continuous path, so the time of contact would be off on both sides."

We all turned to the new voice.

"Michio!" Tamaki stood up, and fixed her clothes and hair.

Michio grinned. "For that problem, the staircase method would be the shortcut, then find the points of intersection."

Hana stopped and examined the newcomer. "I have not introduced myself back there," she said, offering a hand. "Inuzuka Hana."

Michio returned her handshake with a firm grip. "Michio."

"I'm sorry," Hana said, furrowing her eyebrows. She circled him, her nose wrinkling somewhat. "But what village are you from?"

"Where do you think I'm from?"

"I can't tell."

"Sure you can!" Michio laughed. "Go with your senses!"

Hana stiffened. She straightened and forced a smile, before turning to me. "Ayae, I'm going to use the bathroom before the physical. You want to come? Tamaki?"

Tamaki shook her head. She looked at Michio. "Ah, so how did the testing go...?" she asked him, her fingers curling with the edges of her pigtails.

"Quite well. Though I would be fortunate to score as high as an intelligent lady like you..."

I went to the bathroom to gag. The door closed behind us. Hana washed her hands.

"Ayae, how do you know that person?" she asked.

"Who, Michio?"

"Yeah."

"Uh, long story short, he came back home with me after my trip."

"So a friend?"

I winced. "Yes?"

Hana looked troubled, like there was something else she wanted to ask me, or tell me.

"Is there something wrong with Michio?" I asked

Hana looked at me hard from the reflection in the mirror. Then she turned off the faucet and leaned against the counter. "I guess this isn't my business. Why don't you wash up?" She nodded at all the smudges of pencil lead on my hands.

I did.

"Be careful, okay?" Hana said. Then she left for the fields early to warm up for the physical, while I went back down the halls to join my friends. Most of the class was crowded there now, the testing time up.

Gin was in his own cluster of friends, Tamaki and the girls in theirs. Michio had left.

"That was bad! A, C, C, C, C? Can you get four Cs in a row?" Setsu asked nervously.

Dai frowned. "I got A, C, D, C, A for that part."

"B, C, C, D, A," Ayame said.

Tamaki looked confident in her own answers. "It's definitely A, C, C, D, D. What you'd get, Ayae? Section eight?" she asked as soon as I joined.

"Uh, is that Lit?"

"Yeah."

"Ah, I don't really remember." I laughed, causing much head hanging.

"I'm really worried I'm not going to pass," Setsu said, biting down on her lower lip. "I usually do worse on physicals too..."

"There were over a hundred fifty points on the test," Ayame said. "One third and you're okay."

"NO MORE FRACTIONS!"

We all agreed.

The physical exam turned out to be easier. Hand signs, I messed up the order a little, but I did not think my proctor noticed. The sprint, I had no problems. Of the five laps, I finished in the front with Gin, Hana beating both of us by a hair. Michio was in a comfortable first place, waiting at the finish line. I was gasping for breath at the end, when he jumped on me in a giant hug. Gin was taken aback, and demanded to know my new, uh, _friend_.

I was saved when the whistle blew, and we all left for the next test site. Along the way, I gave Gin my abridged summary of Miyako and Michio.

By abridged, I mean _abridged_. "Uh, um, so I went with my dad to see this river, and this kid lived there, and we met, and err... now he's here."

"So a transfer student?"

"I guess?"

The next test was balance. The test setup was different than expected. In class, we usually tied a rope between two posts in the fields, the rope half a meter above the ground. Now, it was over a running river.

"You have to keep trying, Setsu," Tamaki urged, but Setsu was still crying from the first time she fell in. Soaked and shivering, she ran away.

"They are testing you on the number of tries you need," Hana observed by the creek. She eyed the proctors and watched them scribble something down when the next student fell in. "There's no rush. It's not timed."

Beside her, Minoji and I nodded.

Since I was usually last to be called, I could watch everyone else go first. Dai passed after two tries. Gin fell, but he only needed one more try. He had rushed too much to be impressive. Ayame needed one try. Hana finished with ease on her first try. Tamaki advanced slowly and finished on her first try. Minoji got it on his first try as well.

Most students need two times to get through. The students who could balance passed the first time, and the bad ones never. Usually by the fifth time, teachers called it off if the student did not quit first. Some refused to even try once.

Blue Hair did not quit. I smiled when she fell in her second time.

Most of the students were drenched by the time my name was called. I stepped onto the rope, and went two meters in without a problem. My problem came in the middle, when the rope started sagging, the rush of water splashed to my ankles. My heart was pounding, and I thought would fall in when my knees started shaking. Thankfully, I had enough practice in rope exercises with Ms. Hyuuga to pull through.

When I finished, I ran across the plank bridge back over.

Another name was called, and I realized I was no longer last on their list.

Michio had kicked off his boots. Every student watched, curious. No one took off their shoes. I was not even sure if that was allowed, because I felt going barefoot would have been easier. I noticed the proctors were about to speak up as well, until they saw what Michio was about to do.

He cartwheeled across the rope, landing at each point in the rope by a sole finger or toe. He ended with a triple dip spin in the air, a graceful landing, and a bow. The girls started whispering at the performance, and some even clapped.

When Michio returned, he gave the girls a wink, causing much giggles. The girls were not the only ones with something to say. The boys started complaining. They said Michio took off his shoes, and how that was not fair. The proctors decided they were not going to make Michio redo it.

As for me, I braced myself for another hug, and found myself... not hugged.

Michio passed me without a look. A few girls approached him.

"Oh wow, how did you learn how to do that!"

"That was so cool!"

"Where are you from?"

"Are you really part of the Uchiha clan?"

And they, he did not ignore.

I was caught off guard. In Miyako, he was speaking like a five year old, cuddling against my arm at every opportunity. Now, he was fifteen, his trench coat slung over his shoulder, almost cool-like.

The last physical was shuriken practice. It was humiliating. I got one shuriken to stick on the wooden post. And eight in the grass. One of those eight may or may not have accidentally stabbed my proctor in the foot. My friends and I all winced. My bad.

Meanwhile, Michio shined again. With a single flicker of his wrist, every shuriken lined up in a perfect line down the post.

By the time the examination ended, Michio had his own fanclub, wearing his golden crown as president, three girls wrapped under his arms.

That was when I heard the gossip that spread like fire: the Uchiha were back, ready to rule the school once more.

.

A mechanical frog leaped on my bed.

"Ya! So cute!"

"Hey! How'd you get in?" I dropped my backpack.

Michio was plopped on his belly, in my bed. To answer my question, he pointed to my nonexistent roof. The nonexistent roof that had been fantastic for endless bird poop, late night star-gazing, and a second door to anyone who wanted to drop by.

I knocked Michio off my bed. A week in Konoha, and he had flirted with every girl in our school, earning him the reputation of The Peculiar Uchiha: dashing, bold, and exotic.

Also the same person currently holding the bump on his head, crying like a toddler. Oh, if only the fangirls could see their prince charming now.

"You've got some explaining to do," I deadpanned.

"Explainin' o' wa?"

"Of this," I said, tossing to him the notes of my classmates. Some asked me if Michio liked them, if I knew any secrets about him, or if I think I could set them up with him. Others gave me blatant confession notes to give to him.

Michio read one of the notes and giggled. "Aw, that cute."

"Not cute!" I exclaimed. "Not cute at all!"

"Jealous?"

"No! You just can't go around kissing people. Everyone gets really worked up about something like this, and you'll hurt their feelings!"

"Hm... okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay," Michio told me, smiling. "I'll stop if you tell everyone you're my girlfriend."

I wanted to nail his head with my ballet shoes. "No, I don't think so."

He hopped back onto my bed, sitting in a butterfly, toes pulled in. "Why not?"

"Because I don't like-like you!"

Michio pouted. "What about me, Ayae...?" His voice dropped, his skin turning pale, and black hair fell down his face.

I slammed a pillow at Michio to stop his henge. He poofed back to normal.

"I don't get it!" he cried. "Don't you at least like Itachi dearest? But you two have not said anything to each other since we got here!"

Wrong. I did say "Hi" to Itachi when Auntie invited my dad and me over for the weekend. She had moved back, and the main house was lit with life and family again. My dad presented a melon as our welcome back gift. Even better, Itachi said "Hi" back, before he left to fix his mission backlog. After two years of silence, that exchange of "Hi" was the peak of sparkling friendship.

"Where are you going?" Michio asked when I left for the door.

"My dance competition's the day after. I'm off to practice." I only came home to pick up my shoes.

Michio self-invited and followed me to the studio. We took a detour, because the clan was busy settling back in. The district was super full, with every household taken. Michio had ditched his official residence to move in with Shisui's family. Far by the lake, Tomoe had her own residence to herself. Otoha and the cat boarded with her.

As we walked, Michio's metal bracelets jingled with every hop he made. He mimicked my dad's toy frog. When we were out of the district, I slowed down so he would not lose me. The village was still new to him.

Only, he did not seem worried about getting lost. Along the way, he buried his nose in the notes I had passed to him.

"I like these," he giggled, shuffling through them. "Konoha girls are really smart."

"Think so?"

"Yeah, because smart people know to date me."

I threw my backpack at his head and marched ahead. He strapped on my backpack on and carried it for me. Then, he went through the rest of the notes, and took his time, unfolding them one by one. He stopped at one.

"I like this one."

I raised an eyebrow. Out of curiosity, I glanced over his shoulder and found a familiar handwriting. 'Hey Ayae, just wondering, what do you know about Michio? Where is he from? When is his birth date?'

"Can I have her?"

"TAMAKI?" I exclaimed. "No!"

"Why not?"

Because she was my best friend! And Tamaki did not even _like _Michio. She was just curious. That tended to happen when some kid with ridiculous skin and hair popped up in school and pretended to own the place.

Michio smirked.

"This one's super smart," he said, slapping the note. "I bet Itachi dearest knows her name."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Tamaki's my best friend. Of course they know each other."

Michio was surprised. "_Best_friend?" he whistled. "So already a foot into our door. I don't think I'm comfortable with my honey doll playing games with her. You'll definitely lose. You're too dumb."

"HEY-!"

He shut my protest with a kiss. Giggling, he said, "Or maybe the endearing term would be too _honest_."

I punched his face. "I'm not stupid. And don't diss my friends!"

"You mistaken. Michi no diss friends. Michi just no like how honey doll is _not winner_. That is not super-duper fantastically awesome. That is not even normal awesome," he said, hands on his hips.

"I'm working on it," I said.

"Well, work faster," he said. "I was so shock to see Uchiha not first, Hyuuga not first, but _Inuzuka_. "

"Hana? She's-"

"Had I not shown up, she would have ranked number one of your grade."

I stopped. "How did you know Hana's first?"

He raised an eyebrow. "It's not obvious? Honey doll, I took the examination with you. Had I not been there, Inuzuka Hana _would_have placed one with bar score of 229. Your _best_friend would have placed five with 168. And you-"

"Wait, I passed, right?"

"You silly. The school standard is so low, only three people failed. Even the worst I've seen have 105 or above. You are ninth, right below that boy you like to spend time with. If only you accepted Michi's help on that test, you could have been number two next to me, push Inuzuka down to third place."

My jaw dropped. "GIN BEAT ME?"

"By two points."

"GIN BEAT ME BY _TWO_POINTS?" I demanded, grabbing Michio's shirt. It was not even _one _point? It was _two_?

"Funny, ya? His test sucked, didn't even pass four of the five sections, but his physical beat yours by twenty!"

"_How_? He fell into the river!"

"And you scored a _one_on your shuriken final, honey doll. You be lucky the proctor no give you negative points."

I threw my hands up in the air. I could not believe Gin beat me. I was so, so sure that I had tied, if not bested him this time. I went to Miyako! I got extremely advanced Uchiha training! Itachi tutored me, and drilled about eighty different dead people's lousy poetry into my brain! How could I have lost to Gin!

Well, his shuriken _was _pretty good. And his knowledge of ninjutsu _was_extensive already. And he _was _pretty fast. And his balance was not _that _bad. And he _did _have an older brother to help him out. And unlike me, he _did _stay in Konoha to review instead of vacation. And- Oh hell, it was a miracle I stood a chance.

Then I realized something. I turned to Michio. "Wait, how did you know any of this?" Scores for examinations did not come out until break.

Michio pocketed his hands. "It no hard to figure out."

"What did _you_get?"

A mischievous smile. "Michi do OK."

"What is okay?"

He just flickered ahead, and opened the door of my ballet studio for me. "Okay is a score acceptable enough to converse with the future clan lady."

"Which is...?" I was really curious now. Knowing him, probably an overachieving two hundred plus. He bested Hana. He was number one on the physical; there was no contest. With the written, I guessed a total of 240, maybe.

"Is 300 high enough to watch m'lady dance?"

My jaw hit the floor.

Three hundred was a perfect score. This kid did not even go to my school, and _he got a perfect score_.

"T-that's... good," I choked out.

"Hm, not good enough, is it?"

"_Not good enough? _You're crazy!"

He cocked his head. "Maybe OK for school, so-so for clan. But definitely not good enough to steal the future clan lady, not when the future clan head perfected all three of his bar examinations at the age of seven." I was sputtering, when he leaned in, a smirk on his lips. He was in henge again, his voice smooth. "But no worries, Ayae, I have other things that he _ . _."

"You're crazy," I said, knocking him out of his Itachi henge.

"Ayae, honey doll, you're in the _Uchiha _clan," he laughed, pushing me into the studio. "We're not crazy. We're _insane_!"

.

My dance lesson was horrible.

Michio stole the entire spotlight, from the minute he waltzed in to the minute he chasséd out.

Why. Why was I not surprised when I learned Michio could dance, even if he knew nothing about ballet.

What he _did _know was a series of wild acrobatic moves mixed in with wicked dance steps such as the Suna sand twister and the Kumo electric slide. And yes, it was cool. It was more than cool. It was super-duper fantastically awesome. I wanted to be like every girl in the studio and beg him to show me the moves.

Where I drew the line, though, was when Ms. Hyuuga _asked him to be our cavalier_. Michio beamed, then bumped my dance partner aside and swung an arm around me. "Can I be the prince of this swan?"

Over my dead body.

The next day, I went over the moves from eight in the morning until the studio not closed. By the time I ran home, the sun was already going down fast.

I gave a wave to guards. They usually never paid attention to me. That changed. They were nice for a while. But since today was a Saturday, they returned to their old habits and lazily glanced at me when I ran on in.

I preferred it that way. It became uncomfortable when clansmen stared at the necklace Itachi gave me, and began calling me "Miss" instead of "You." Worse, "The future clan lady," instead of "Girl." Eventually, I could not take the staring anymore and kept the ring hidden under my shirt at all times. In school, I took it off altogether, since I was crawling through a foot of mud and leaves.

My house was in sight. Then, I heard, "Sorry squirt, gotta kidnap ya!" and got scooped up like a package.

Before I knew it, I was blinded with much fabric and scissors, then plopped down at a fancy square table, wearing a style of clothing that was older than my grandmother.

"Hi."

I tossed aside all three layers of the itchy, unbreathable clothes off me. "_Hi_."

"I apologize, but this will be lengthy. Please bear with it," Itachi said, bowing his head, while giving me with a cup of _boiling hot _tea. How nice.

I grabbed it out of his hand, set it down on the table. "Okay, what the hell is going on?" I asked.

I was inside a temple. While Itachi and I knelt at the center table, people moved around us. Otoha was there, dressed in a tank and slacks, hair pulled into a messy bun. She did little to help the people carrying this, unloading that, plopping this on the table, taking away that, lighting this lamp, pushing in those barrels.

Instead, she read. And only when everyone else filed out did she close her book. She stuck the cup back in my hand. "Have fun," she said, and gave me a thump on the back of my head.

"Hey-"

The temple door slammed close.

And now, it was just Itachi and me. As much as I loved spending quality time with him, what I had in mind was not _this_.

"Okay, what's going on," I asked.

He smiled apologetically. "Forgive me, Ayae, but we must do this is once a week. Unfortunately, our actions are also under surveillance."

"What!" I looked around the roof of the temple, then down at the table before me. I felt doomed when I saw an ink stone on the left and a dish of tea leaves on my right. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Just mimic my movements, and it will be fine. Tea or ink?"

"You have got to be kidding me," I repeated, and pointed to ink stone.

Itachi nodded, and his fingers touched the ink stone on his side of the table. His hands began their performance. He went slowly, so that I could catch up and copy him as he made ink.

"How was your dance," he asked me.

"Good, considering who didn't show up this time."

"I presume you speak of... Michio, should I say."

I waved my ink stick. "Can you believe him? He got my dance after one glance! Not only that, he's number one in school after showing up for a lousy week!"

"You find this disagreeable."

"Yes! Someone like him shouldn't exist in real life! These kind of perfect sparkly people only exists in Setsu's horribly cheesy romance novels."

A chuckle. "Michio is talented at certain things, yes. But perhaps you take more notice of him in this manner, because his talents coincide with your interests more than the talents of others."

"And what's your excuse," I mumbled. He mixed in the water and blended the ink. I stared at my own clumpy mess. I did not want to know how badly this would turn out.

"Practice is not the same as talent," he said.

"Hmm, so let me get this straight. When you're _not_busy fighting evil ninjas or escorting princesses or acing all your exams, you practice making _ink_."

"Amongst other things."

Well, this answered the question about his hobbies. I bet flower arranging and watching wet paint dry were on that list too.

"No, really. Why are we doing this?" I asked again, madly stirring the horrid concoction was in front of me. Whatever it was, it did not look like the smooth blend of ink in front of Itachi.

He smiled at my try. Then he shook his head, and nudged my work aside as politely as he can and offered his to be shared.

He wiped his hands and traced his fingers across the brushes.

He picked the third one. The brush was not more narrow or fat, round or flat, than the rest of them. I also was about to grab a brush too when his hand blocked mine.

"It is not wise to leave evidence behind," he said, and looked at a damp cloth. Rolling my eyes, I cleaned my hands until I could see my skin again.

When we both had a brush and parchment, Itachi dipped the tip of his brush into the ink.

"We begin with clerical style," he said, mapping out each stroke for me, four in all. When his brush left the parchment, there was the word 'tree.' It was nice. Symmetric enough to sell on the market at a good price.

Itachi unrolled his scroll more, and dipped his brush. His hands glided above the parchment, and in one continuous, elegant movement, fast and fluid, fierce and controlled, snaked out a different word that ended with a sharp curve and a graceful lift of a tail.

'Dragon.' And it looked like one trapped in the paper.

"Grass style. We will cumulative here."

He nodded his head, asking me to try. Unfortunately, I never used ink in my life. He had to teach me how to grip the brush and guide me every step of the way. He made writing look so easy. I, on the other hand, took an art form and ran it under a bulldozer.

So what if I dipped my brush in too deep. So what if I accidentally dripped ink all over the table. So what if the ink started bleeding everywhere and my lines started merging into one, and I had to dip again, and the order of my strokes were wrong and I went back over my work, which only made it worse. So what if the word was hideous and BAD. It was not like I needed this for anything.

… which was why I was furiously writing 'tree' over and over again until I got it right.

I was so mad that a boy was beating me in one of the girliest skills in life, right behind flower arranging and tea making.

I accidentally knocked the ink over the table. The ink would have dripped down and stained my clothes had the droplets not suspended in air. With the lift of a finger, Itachi made the ink return to the dish.

I kept going, unrolling more clean parchment. A hand touched mine.

Itachi appeared by my side. Wordlessly, he brought my hand up and dipped the brush into the dish. It was gentle enough that there was no drip. I thought he would help me write the word too, but he let go of my hand, and made me do it on my own. I worked slowly, dragging four lines. The word was crooked but was clean enough for me to call it a day.

"You know, you never answered my question," I said, wiping my hands. The cloth was black now. I also had black cracks in my hands, from the lines on my palms to the edges of my fingernails. I wondered how that happened. If I only touched the _brush_, how could I get ink on me? Of course, Itachi's hand was clean.

"Which one?"

"What is going on? Why are we here?"

"There are prerequisites for the clan lady," he said, storing away the inks in jars. He cleaned up quickly, washed every hair of my brush, took care of the tip, and wiped the handle. "The elders insisted you be prepared with the necessary skills. I took the responsibility to make sure those requirements were met."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Itachi needed to start using kid-friendly words. "So _this _is what the clan lady does? Write _tree _over and over again?" I had higher expectations. Like some fancy powers and quests and old wizard mentors.

Ah, but no. I just write 'tree.' Maybe in the next lesson, I would make some famous-Uchiha-grandpapa-specialty-hot-spice-drink. And afterwards, some flower arranging. I knew, just _knew_, flower arranging was going to be there. No wonder Tomoe did not want this job.

"You may choose the word next time, if you wish. I only wanted to familiarize with the basic four types of strokes today." Itachi made hand signs. The temple door unbolted without a loud click.

When I stepped outside, the sun was out of the sky, hidden behind the houses. Itachi looked at the flight of stairs below us. I jumped to his side and tilted my head. Well, we heading off or not?

Itachi did not move. He looked both amused and troubled at the same time. "Ayae," he said finally, looking at me, "I do believe I will have to cheat and ask for your opinion."

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"Three steps ahead or three steps behind?"

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. What kind of a stupid question was _that_?

"Are you asking me if I go first down the stairs, or you?" I asked in disbelief, pointing down the stairs.

"Yes."

I was sputtering. Did that _matter_?

I doubted Itachi really cared who walked down first, but he nonetheless seemed interested in the answer.

At first I could not figure out why he was asking me something so stupid. Then I realized we spent hours cooped up in a traditional temple doing traditional calligraphy in the traditional method. Emphasis on the _tradition_.

So when I did figure it out, I tried hard to hold back laughing.

"_Well_, if you're trying to go _noble_on me, ain't it the rule that the guy goes first?"

Itachi nodded. "_The woman grants the man the honor of walking three steps ahead_," he said. "But why would tradition state that so?"

"Isn't it obvious? The boy wants to be brave, and the girl is smart. When the guy goes in front, if there are booby traps or anything, it'll be on him, and she's safe."

He agreed. "_The man gains her trust of protection when the woman walks three steps behind. _However, is it wise to have the person you are to protect behind you?"

I blinked. Well, no. That would be stupid. You cannot even see her. So if someone snuck up from behind, unless you looked back often, you would not even know someone attacked her. Nor are you in really a good position to be defending her. "Uh, can I take that back then? Ladies first."

"So the woman should venture first."

No, I just said you never want to go first, because of booby traps! This was kunoichi seminar 101; never go into foreign terrain first if you do not have to. And it sounded cowardly for the guy to hide behind the girl, and push her to take the bait while he runs.

Soon, I found myself in the exact same problem he was in. You get her front, you expose her back, you get her back, and you expose her front. I pounded my fist into my palm. "I got it! You clone yourself, and take both front and back!"

"Would that resolve the situation?"

Okay, it was a stupid thought. But who knows, could be useful in the field.

But now that Itachi got me thinking about this, I found I had another problem. If I walked ahead, I would not hate not being able to see him, scared that he would be gone by the time I turned around. But I did not like Itachi walking ahead neither, like he would only go further and further ahead and I would not be able to catch up.

I frowned.

Finally, I said, "Itachi, I'm hungry. Can we figure this out after we eat?" And with that, I grabbed his hand, and darted down the stairs.

As we ran, he held up our linked hands, his right and my left. "Is the most optimal position?"

"Sure it is! I'm right handed!"

He raised an eyebrow.

When we both landed at the bottom, I said, "I don't know about front or back, but I do know I should always take the right side. That way, if anyone attacks us, I can use my stronger hand to protect you!"

And thus, I dragged us to dinner. After all these years, Itachi still never ate dinner at my house before. I did not think Aunt Mikoto would mind if I stole him for the rest of the day.

**.**

I kissed the piece of paper.

Final score: 138/300, rank 9. Even with lousy throwing skills, I was above the average, 129. Teacher Funeno was proud, and so was I, because starting this summer, I, Uchiha Ayae, was that much closing to being a full time kunoichi.

And to celebrate, of course, was a round of ramen with Gin and Ayame. Unfortunately, Ayame had some bad news that hit me harder than a concrete block.

"I think I'm going to drop out," she said.

"What! Why?" I exclaimed, break apart my chopsticks. "You have 109! You passed!"

She winced. "Rank eighteen."

"That's good! Come on, if Blue Hair can do it, you _have _to."

"But there's the 3-3-3 rule," she sighed. "I don't stand much of a chance if I'm in the middle."

"The 3-3-3 rule?"

Gin pulled down his cap. "Usually only a third of students make it to genin, and even then, only one third of them go to chuunin."

I zoned out, my brain frying to do that math.

"That's usually three teams," Gin and Ayame said.

Ooh. So another three in the 3-3-3. Clever.

"How did you fail the math section?" I asked Gin. Ayame handled the cashier, so I could understand if she could do math quickly.

"Because it was _boring_," he said. "I spent all my time trying that bogus forty-niner instead."

"Anyway," said Ayame, "three teams have been the norm, although some years had only one or two. That's a max of nine students."

I set my ramen bowl back down. I was ninth. That meant... "I barely make the cutoff?!" And I thought I was in good shape! I thought nine was lucky! But ninth was the dead last?

"Well, not exactly."

I learned that Konoha did not team the strongest three, next three, and so forth. Instead, they paired the best students with the worst, so all teams balanced out. If there were nine students, then the teams would be split so ranks 1, 5, and 9 were together, followed by 2, 6 and 7, and 3, 4, 8. As long as you _graduated_, even as dead last, you still stood a chance.

Ayame was really good at math. Using all the scores, she redid the average. For the expected twenty four graduating students, the average would be 144, and of the rookie nine, 183. I was _way _below par.

"Can you figure out the teams so far?" Gin asked, chewing on a piece of crab cake.

Gin and I exchanged a look. While we liked our table teams, we also made a pact to be on the same genin team if we could.

"Well, if the rankings remain as they are..." Ayame took out a napkin and drew a chart.

1, 13, 24.

2, 16, 20.

3, 12, 23.

4, 15, 19.

5, 10, 22.

6, 14, 17

7, 9, 21.

8, 11, 18.

Gin and I frowned. 7, 9, 21 and 8, 11, 18. I was nine, but Gin was eight. We were separated.

"But you're dropping out," Gin said.

Ayame nodded. Nothing was set. New people could come to the Academy, some could drop out.

"Huh, we should aim for seven and nine," Gin told me, pointing to the two closest rankings that were still on the same team.

"If so, you guys might even get Tamaki on your team," Ayame said, pointing to the 21 position.

"No way. Tamaki's all the way in six," I said.

"Actually, she's aiming high now, but for senior year she plans to take a slot in the twenties."

I gawked. But that made no sense!

"Damn, I didn't think of it like that," Gin said, eyebrows shot up.

"What-"

"Look!"

Gin circled the 1 and 13, and went down the first two columns. "No matter how you look at it, if you take a bottom number, you get paired with the best combo of students on your team."

I looked carefully at the first row and understood. The dead last spot was great if the top student got to be on your team. So Tamaki would try for 24 just to get Michio. Even spot 20 looked good, because you had Hana. Overall, the last eight spots were good, while the first eight were not.

"But wait, wouldn't this whole thing be pointless if everyone tried rigging their spot?" I asked.

Ayame shook her head. "Some don't know about this, some don't care. And some would strive for first anyway."

"Clan pride," Gin scoffed.

"So are we going for the 7 and 9 spot, or not?" I asked Gin, confused.

He thought it over a slurp of ramen. He nodded. "Yeah, I think we'd be good together."

I agreed, and kept the 7 and 9 numbers in mind, as well as the 16 slot with Hana. Tamaki's idea of going low was brilliant but risky.

"You _sure_you're quitting?" I asked Ayame after we all finished our celebratory ramen.

"Not really," she said, clearing our bowls. "I have to talk it over with Dad. But I really don't think ninja is right for me." She was not the physical type and did not like training. I hated the idea of her leaving, but I could understand.

I, on the other hand, made a resolve to push harder. I had not realized how far behind I was. To be serious about being a ninja, I _should_have scored at least 183.

Gin and I hopped down from our stools.

"Bye, Ayame! Thanks for the food!" I shouted, as we left for the streets. She smiled and waved back.

Gin and I walked down the market streets of Konoha, quiet. We thought the same thing: how we were we going to get that 183 score, and pass the people ahead of us.

Luckily, spring was for improvement.

In the distance, someone got our attention. We saw a giant hat and gown, the swirl of red flames, and a pipe. The Hokage! People in the streets gave a bow when he strolled past, and so did we. I wondered what he doing in the streets.

The Hokage turned a corner.

Gin and I exchanged a glance. We doubled back and turned the corner as well, following the Hokage. As the strongest man in our village, he must do cool things. If we were lucky, maybe we could find some secrets, or catch him doing awesome jutsu, or learn ancient wisdom, or watch him buy a... melon?

We both stared as he stood before a melon chart. He went through a lot of strange, oblong melons, molted yellow and orange. He pressed one to his ear and gave a solid pat. He weighed a few in his palm, and turned over overs, looking at the rind. We waited an exasperating five minutes, before he found one he liked, roundish and big. He paid the vendor, and set off.

"Uh, maybe it's a _magical _melon?" I told Gin, shrugging.

We scrambled to the melon stand to get a closer look. Gin pressed a melon to his ear and started patting, as if that would give him powers. But they were, well, regular melons.

Gin set the melon down, and we continued stalking the Hokage, who disappeared behind a shoe store. It was there that we saw him... picking up his laundry?

The day went on the same way. After he bought his melon and picked up his laundry, he put the former on a table, hung the latter on his chair, and relaxed over a cup of tea. Then he had lunch, which was deer-tail grass, some type of fungi soup, sardines soaked in pickled soybeans, and a side of seaweed salad. Gin was meticulous in writing down everything in his notepad, right down to the order the Hokage ate them in.

After that, the Hokage donned on his hat, picked up his melon and dry cleaning, and set off again to talk to pretty women outside of the hot springs inns.

Gin took one of the many advertisement posters hanging on the nearby bulletin board and rolled it up to make a sound amplifier. Then we crawled into a nearby bush and eavesdropped.

They talked mostly about the weather. Just the right temperature with just the right amount of sun and clouds, the winter chilliness gone, but not yet boiling. The Hokage smoked his pipe as the girls talked about their lives, how one was preparing a baby shower for her sister, and how the other just found a job and moved into a new apartment with her boyfriend.

"How do you write _apartment_?" Gin whispered to me, as he jotted down the whole conversation.

I rolled my eyes, and told him to not ask me for help on writing, except maybe the kanji for tree.

By the time we stopped arguing whether the times the Hokage nodded was more or less important than the colors of the dresses the women wore, the Hokage was already gone. We scrambled out of the bush.

It was somewhere here that I started questioning the usefulness of our investigation. My doubt got shot down, because, come on, this was the Hokage, his head was on our cliffs, and he breathed awesomeness.

Right?

Well, our investigation led to another conversation with a shoe repairman about their grandsons. Then an herbal medicine shop, where the druggist eyed a certain weed the Hokage wanted examined under a magnifying glass. It turned to be authentic what-a-what plant that boosted the flavor in meat at the cost of constipation. Then he went shopping and bought a bottle of cold milk, careful to find the one with the latest expiration date. At a magazine store, he scanned a medical book on ginseng as well as a few magazines on swim suit models and pop singer celebrities.

"What do you mean this isn't awesome research?" Gin asked me. We hid behind the comics section.

"_Milk_?"

"Hey, don't knock the cal-ceum. Gives you strong bones." Gin flexed his arm. Needless to say, Gin also bought a bottle of milk back at the store, as well as a melon.

"Or maybe this is just a random stroll into the village? I say we stop acting like creepy stalkers and let him enjoy his day."

"Ayae, Ayae, Ayae," Gin said, shaking his head. "We've just scratched the surface of _genius_and you want to give up now?"

"It's a damn melon!" I shouted, holding the oblong melon to his face. "There's nothing special about it. My dad buys these _all the time_."

"Look, I know what we're doing. You trust your judgment, or mine?" Just as I was about to open my mouth, he smugly turned his cap and reminded, "I did beat you by _two _points."

BAH!

We continued our stalking, and the day ended with a trip to the orphanage. The Hokage went into the building, and came out with his melon rolling in a bowl.

The Hokage placed down the bowl, his hat, his bottle of milk, and his dry cleaning, and took a seat below an oak. Then, he focused on the melon and skewed it a bit. From his sleeve, he took out an iron nail and smashed it into the fruit.

The melon exploded into many cubical slices. He finished by poking several toothpicks in each piece. The Hokage savored one piece, chewing slowly. Then, he smiled, tucked his hands in, and closed his eyes, as if to go to sleep.

There were shy gazes from the windows of the orphanage. On cue, the children all rushed out, the pitter-patter of their footsteps as each one grabbed a piece of melon from the bowl.

The Hokage's smile widened, and he peeked open an eye, then snapped it close again. Just as quick, the children dashed back into the building with the melon in their mouth.

All the children except one, who took the extra scrap pieces and stuffed them into his mouth. Naruto flipped over the bowl, found no more melon, and frowned. Instead of going back with the other children, he crawled down and poked the Hokage. "Hey, you brought more?"

The Hokage did not open his eyes.

"Hey, old man!"

The Hokage stayed still and sleeping.

"Hey, I'm _talking _to you!" And when there was no response again, Naruto kickedhim.

I cringed when Naruto kicked him again and again. "HEY! I know you're there! Old man!"

When the Hokage toppled over onto the ground, Naruto jumped back. Naruto narrowed his eyes and pouted. He looked around and grabbed the bottle of milk by the Hokage's side.

He started running away. "Hey, hey, I got your milk!" Naruto sneered, running further away, shaking the bottle of milk. He was already half across the field, when he turned around and saw the Hokage had not budged.

Naruto lowered the bottle, stomped back, and put on the Hokage's hat instead.

"Look, I'm wearing your stupid hat!"

When Naruto still did not get any reaction, he stomped up and down. "Old man, stop pretending to be dead!" And he threw the hat at the Hokage. It smacked on the Hokage's face. Nothing.

And now, Naruto was scared.

"Old man?" _Really_scared. Naruto approached the body on the grass and poked him one last time. "O-old man? Y-you're n-not r-really d-"

"BOO!" The Hokage sprang back to life and scared the daylight out of both Naruto andme.

Laughing, the Hokage sat upright once more, straightening his hat. "Ah, I can't take a nap around you, now can I?"

"OLD MAN!"

The Hokage laughed, even as Naruto gave more childish punches. "DON'T DO THAT!"

Naruto did not stop venting until he Hokage tucked his pipe back between his lips, and chuckled, "I have something for you, Naruto."

That got his attention. "You do? What, what is it!"

The Hokage said nothing, just glanced at the folded dry cleaning. Naruto zipped open the bag, and took out the hangers. On it were a set of clothes, with a cotton white shirt, pants, and an orange jacket.

"No way!" he shouted, unhooking the jacket and trying it on. It was a good fit, though a little big.

"Take good care of it, Naruto," the Hokage said. "Because starting next month, you're going to school."

Naruto's eyes were as wide as saucers. "What! No way! That's so cool-!" But then a thought struck him, and he looked over his shoulder, staring hard at the orphanage. "Wait, but can I leave, old man?"

The answer was enough to make him gulp hard, then tackle the Hokage in a hug.

It was getting dark fast. Gin and I left. As I looked back on the orphanage, I could not believe how much Naruto had changed. It had been years, but now he could walk, he could talk, he was every bit as rude as Sasuke was.

Meanwhile, Gin walked me home and shared his bottle of milk. He tucked away his notepad and told me his new goal: to one day live the life of a Hokage. You know, when he was not busy training or fighting bad guys or saving the village and stuff.

**.**

I put my dance trophy on my desk. Second place.

Over break, I had gotten more calligraphy lessons with Itachi. I also got a billion bruises with Gin, a few scabs, and I really bad haircut.

Shisui jumped up the ladder and got a ninja promotion. He also officially joined the Uchiha Police Force. I heard rumors that Tomoe got jouninship too. She finished school in less than an hour, and I hate her for it.

Thus, with everyone else running ahead, I was so fishflipping ready for school that I woke up one whole hour early, ate half a dozen pancakes, and-

"Hi."

My gaze fell down to the mop of black hair. At my door, Sasuke glared at me, lips in a pout. In his hand was a note.

_'Beautiful day, squirt. As of today, you are officially the conductor of the Shisui-Itachi-Michio-Ayae-Sasuke express._

'– _your former conductor, captain Shisui._

_'P.S. Watch out for the small one. He bites.'_

"Eehhh?" But before I could run for my life, there were the jingles of bangles. Michio fell from the sky and cartwheeled down.

"And how are you this fine morning," Michio greeted with a bow, and flashed his crooked smile.

My gaze switched back and forth between the two. "What-"

"I already _know_ the way to the Academy," Sasuke said haughtily. "But Mother worries and Brother is busy."

"So I'm your escort?" I asked.

"_You_? As if," he said, and then left for the gate.

"Why you-" Before I could teach the boy a lesson or two on manners, Michio flung an arm around me. "Ah-ah-ah. It ain't wise to hurt the precious darling child of the clan."

And what a precious darling Sasuke was. The elders of our clan gave him a bag of treats, the gate guards bowed in respect, and every villager along the way had to stop for a smile. "Ah, little Sasuke, going to school?"

And Sasuke would give a bubbly smile in return. "Yes, I promise to work hard!"

Oh, I wanted to puke. To comfort my stomach from the sudden overdose of cuteness, Michio snatched the dessert bag from Sasuke and threw me a seaweed cake.

At school, my ears bled off.

"Oh my GOSH, your cousin is so _cute_!"

And here we go again. Was my fate doomed to this? But then again, maybe it was worth it. I laughed as upper-class girls crowded around Sasuke, squealing and pinching his cheeks, much to his horror.

Starting in the new school year, all the students gathered in the fields again. I found my friends. I was disheartened to see Ayame was not there. She transferred out after all.

"Hey, at least we're together," said Tamaki, and I cheered up.

Even better, I had all my friends in my new class: Tamaki, Gin, Dai, Setsu… and Michio, who wrapped an arm around my waist.

This was also the first year that I did _not_get Funeno as my teacher. He taught the first years and hit the Uchiha jackpot – Itachi's little brother. I hoped Funeno would burn Sasuke's butt with pop quizzes as he did with mine.

My new teacher was Teacher Umino. I had seen him before, the man with the long scar across his nose. He said this was his first time teaching a class, though I would not have guessed by how prepared he was.

"Welcome class to your 5th year! Congratulations on making it thus far!" Teacher Umino announced from the podium. "Now, last summer, everyone here took their first bar examination and passed with flying colors. But as you all know, we must still prepare for the second bar examination at the end of this year."

He handed out everyone a rubric, and showed how the grading had changed. I scanned the rubric and saw no math. Hoorah!

"Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Strategy, Individual, Team, Positivity, Attitude. The eight aspects we teachers look-"

From behind me, Gin's hand snapped up.

"Yes?"

"Does that mean no math?" Gin asked excitedly.

Umino coughed. "No, mathematics is still important. Recall that the written part accounts for a fourth of your bar examination, and problems will involve calculations."

"But we don't have to learn any more _math_, right?"

"Well, we will cover algebraic equations and geometry the first term. But past that, no."

And thus, the class cheered. Now this was what I was waiting for. No more indoors busy work. No more tying ropes or survival training. In fact, screw the textbooks! We jumped straight to ninjutsu!

The class awed when he first transformed into the Hokage. Then he made a clone, and punched himself, which turned into a substituted book. Finally, he did the coolest technique yet: he showed us the flicker – blink and you would miss him.

"We have introduced you all to these ninjutsu in the past. However, because everyone's chakra network develops at different stages of growth, we have not made it necessary to do them. However, starting this year, we will teach everyone how to harness their chakra and perform ninjutsu."

And Umino kicked it off by asking everyone to substitute, right off the bat. I was so excited I jumped out of my seat.

We lined up, and he guided us one by one. He told us about feeling the chakra in our guts, and how to pull it up to our bodies. The hand seals then helped us turn it into the technique that we wanted.

Three hours flew by like it was nothing. People started to create a puff of smoke, or feel a tingle in their hands or toes.

Michio did not need to try. Hana got it nailed within two minutes flat, but she did not like to be bested. As far as I could tell from the cuts of her face and arms, she had trained hard her break too, if only to get her first place title back.

Gin was third in class. He had pulled off substitutions, but it was discouraging to watch him do it, but unable to do it myself. I repeated the hand seals at least a hundred times, but I got nothing.

It made me worried, because I did not get the smoke, or even the tingle.

"I don't get it! Umino said my hand seals could go faster, but I'm not doing anything wrong!" I groaned, slumping on a bench.

Tamaki fell too, exhausted. "Calm down, Ayae. Breathe in and out."

I huffed out my frustration and tried again. And again and again, until I was red in the face and constipated-looking. Gin laughed and ruined my concentration.

"Oh shut up." I pouted and threw my summoning scroll at his head.

Hana dropped in, and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Any luck at this corner?"

"Nope," I said, deflated. "Minoji?"

"Nothing," she sighed. Then, upon seeing my depression, she said, "Relax, most haven't gotten anything yet. People grow at different times. If your chakra system hasn't fully developed, controlling it will be near impossible."

"Near impossible isn't the same as impossible," flickered in a voice. Michio landed on top of Tamaki's desk. "Some even argue that an underdeveloped chakra system leads to greater control, because you have less to concentrate on. Itachi dearest started using his chakra since four years old."

Suddenly, our circle got wider, as Setsu and Dai jumped in, their ears perked. "Really?" they exclaimed.

"As far as I know, he mastered fire then."

While my friends were in awe, Hana frowned. "That cannot be healthy. Our chakra nodes are just forming then, and something as advanced as elemental manipulation shouldn't be tried until eight or nine, the _earliest_."

Michio shrugged, and landed off the table, hands pocketed. "You're right. His were far from mature when he used it. But he did anyway, as well as his Sharingan." Then he chuckled, "So I'm not really surprised his chakra system got stunted."

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Tsking, Michio swung behind me, and rested an elbow on my shoulder. "The turtle and the hare, honey-doll. Itachi dearest has less than a third of the chakra reserve of anyone in our clan, and the way he's abusing it, it's not going to grow any quicker either."

"You mean-"

"I mean, honey-doll, don't fret. In another ten years or so, you'll rise above him. Above all of us." He flashed another charming smile, this time with extra teeth. "Granted you don't die, that is."

The bell to lunch rang. Michio backflipped and hopped to his feet, shooting both arms up. "Food! Who's with me?"

And he bounced, signing a peace out. A cluster of girls giggled and trailed after him out the classroom.

Meanwhile, Gin was in angst. "Wait, I've been performing substitution since last year. Did I stunt my growth?"

Hana face palmed. "C-rank elemental control by children of four is potentially detrimental. E-rank substitutions by children of ten are hardly."

"Oh."

Afterschool, Michio disappeared someplace with his fanclub. Meanwhile, I decided to be the good girl and pick up the brat downstairs. It felt obligatory, like there was some Uchiha tradition in which the older kids looked out for the younger.

"So, how'd it go?" I asked Sasuke. We filed out the building.

"We had a quiz," Sasuke mumbled.

My eyes beamed. First day, and pop quiz already. Oh, Teacher Funeno was my man! I kept my voice calm as I asked, "And...?"

He slapped his test paper to my chest. "It insults my intelligence."

When I stared at his twenty columns of check marks, with a one double-zero circled at the top, my eye twitched. Somehow, it insulted mine as well, and horribly so.

"You cheated," I said, handing the paper back to him.

"As if."

"Yes, you did."

"And why exactly would I need to cheat on _this_? Anyone with a brain can do it."

"Well, you know, if you keep on using your brain like that, its growth is going to get stunted. And then you'll be stupid like that forever."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"See? You're getting stupider already," I trolled, pacing ahead.

Sasuke grew red-faced and ran to keep up with me. "_No_, I'm not!"

"Yes, yes you are."

It was too easy. For the next three blocks, Sasuke went on to defend his intelligence, flustered and frustrated, using big words I neither knew nor cared about. And it was fun.

Because unlike his brother, Sasuke was so easy to upset. Unlike his brother, he was not above sputtering, or hand gestures, or raising his voice. And unlike his brother, he was stumpy in his walk, awkward in his talk, and could not multitask both for his life. I heard a _thud_behind me.

I turned around to see he had tripped over a crack, fallen flat on the street.

Before I could say anything, he growled, "This proves nothing."

I grinned. No wonder Shisui loved doing this.


	19. Falling

_[**A/N**: Many people have been alarmed that in the past few weeks, the chapters have dropped from 79 to less than 20. I have put up a notice for a year, saying that I planned on editing this story. This is the result._

_1) Spelling and grammar, for the most part, have been fixed._

_2) Over the years, my writing style has been continuously changing. Now, the style has been smoothed over. _

_3) The new voice better reflects Ayae's age._

_4) The timeline has been updated with the new canon._

_5) The characterization of Itachi has been updated with his canonic personality._

_6) The characterization of Ayae has been updated to be internally consistent._

_7) The Japanese-English balance has been reworked._

_8) The chapters have been reorganized into arcs to reduce the ridiculous number of chapters._

_Feel free to read the updated version of this story. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts, whether they like the changes or hate it. Feedback would help me greatly. However, while there are subtle differences, the plot has not changed, so a rereading is not necessary. _

_Chapter updates will work the same as before: as chapters. When I feel I have too many chapters again, I will polish and merge them into arcs._

_Thank you everyone, and scroll down for the updated segment.]_

* * *

I pushed open the temple door, and dropped down my backpack. Rubbing my hands, I asked, "Alright, what kanji we doing now? Elephant? Shoe?"

But there was something wrong. There was no warmth in the room, no warmth from Itachi. My nerves shot up.

From the shadows, Lady Tomoe stepped behind him. She looked dead serious, and aged.

"What's she doing here?" I hissed under my breath. I had a bad feeling. There was no tea in sight, no brushes or scrolls. Calligraphy was annoying, but it was of the few times that I had with Itachi. Only during my lessons could we talk and keep some type of friendship.

Tomoe said something that made my heart drop. "I am here as his replacement."

"What! Why? No!"

Tomoe was in a foul mood, with no tolerance. "You have no say."

"Um, yes, yes I do!" I said, tiptoeing for height. "I'm the clan lady!"

"Do not grow attached to that title."

When it was clear that I would be disagreeable, Itachi stood up from his chair. "I apologize, Ayae, but Lady Tomoe will serve as a better mentor than I will."

When he took her side, I knew I lost. "B-but. What about us?" I asked. "When will I see you again?"

Instead of an answer, he gave an apologetic smiled. Then his presence dulled.

My hands balled into fists as I watched him go. But not before I could yell, "It better not be another two years!" The door closed with an unforgiving slam.

Torture began. With a yank of my hair, I was pulled to a chair. "We do not have two years," Tomoe said.

I winced but held my ground. "You did this! You did this to him!" I shouted. "You're always trying to pull us apart!"

It did not matter what I said, or how loud I was. Tomoe was never affected. "You are not the sole person seeking the heir's attention, child, though you are the least significant. He should have thrown you away long before."

I forced down the heave of air in my chest. I could have grabbed my backpack and thrown it at her face.

"I'm sorry you got the trash then," I said.

Surprisingly, I got the last word. There was something bitter about Tomoe today, but I was not the reason. I was the chore she wanted done as soon as possible, and she was reserving her energy for something else.

Her tiredness, I realized, was the same as Itachi's. She overlooked me in the same way he did, no more aware of me than a piece of furniture or cloud in the sky. She locked the cabinets and capped the fires.

"You are in your fifth year, and you still cannot perform ninjutsu," she said.

As bad as it was to hear, she said the truth. Though I doubted she got this information from Itachi. Probably Michio.

"So?" I crossed my arms.

"So," she said. "If that does not change, the clan will invest elsewhere. There is real potential we neglect."

Before I could argue, she pressed a thin piece of paper into my palm. "You, however, are a hit or miss," she said.

I stared at the piece of paper, then at her. What? Did she expect me to start writing the word 'tree' on it? But she did not get out any calligraphy scrolls.

The door unbolted.

"Find the type of tree that paper originated from. Find the right tree." She readied to leave.

I was baffled, and ran to the temple stairs.

"What! You're just going to leave?" I yelled. Tomoe descended three more steps, and then disappeared with the wind.

I had crumpled the paper in my fist. I looked at it again for any writing. There was nothing. I sighed, and sat on the steps, burying my head into my arms. Find the tree? Are you kidding me?

You know what, screw her. Tomoe had no right telling me what to do, and I was not wasting my time chasing down some stupid tree.

Instead, I ran to the main house. I was not expecting Itachi to be there, but I was surprised to find Auntie and Sasuke missing too. I leaped in from the back door. In the living room were a school bag and papers scattered on the ground. Their shoes were missing.

I decided maybe Shisui would have answers. But his house was empty too. Not only was his mother gone, but Michio was gone too. And suddenly, the district felt too quiet.

Against my better judgment, I tried one more door. By the lake, I knocked on a formerly abandoned mansion. To my relief, the door did open. A pair of auburn eyes bore down on me.

"Hi! Otoha, is-"

"No."

"I haven't even asked my question yet!"

"Is Master Itachi here, no. Is the ma'am here, no. Is anyone of the surname Uchiha in this house, no. Bye."

"Wait, that's not my question!" I shouted, just in time for Otoha to stop. But then, I realized, yeah, those were pretty much my questions.

"Bye." The door slammed in my face.

If Itachi left district, I would have a better chance chasing trees than him. Frowning, I got the paper out, and looked up. The wind blew, shaking the leaves of trees everywhere. Paper was made from trees, but Konoha was in the middle of a forest. Trees were everywhere.

I shook my head. Was I really going to go with Tomoe's stupid demand? But Tomoe was probably the one person who both knew what was going on, and was willing to tell me anything. Throughout all those years, Shisui was evasive and Auntie was helpless. Turning to them was no good.

Gritting my teeth, I ran out of the district. Tomoe would not bother with me; I would have to be the one chasing her.

I had no idea of where I was going. There were plenty of trees in the parks, so I went there. Along the way, though, I stopped. From the street I was on, I saw the peaks of the Konoha Library. I changed my path.

The library was silent past the pull of a chair, or the scribbling of pencils. The place was big too, with many spiraling levels, and compartments of scrolls all the way up to the high ceilings. There were people at the tables, reading textbooks. In a corner was a little girl with pink hair, curled up with a scroll on her lap.

I was not a big fan of books, so the only time I went to the library was during class field trips. My eyes wandered, and I bumped into someone.

A stack of books fell down. "Oh damn, sorry-" I reached down to pick a book up, when I noticed the cover. _One Thousand and One Starless Nights._I flipped over the book, and saw a heart at the bottom. Romance?

"Ayae?" Setsu asked.

After gathering all the books, Setsu led me to a table. "It's funny seeing you here. Are you checking something out?"

"Actually..." I took out the piece of paper, and told her my problem. She looked at the paper.

"Huh, I'll be right back!"

Minutes later, she returned with a giant text.

"What's that?"

"_Dendrology, the Encyclopedia_. Anything we need to know about trees, we'll find it here." She went through the index, and flipped to a page. While she skimmed through, I looked through her books, and found them all to be romance. I could not read them, though. The language was old, the words were long.

"Aha!"

I jolted when Setsu turned the encyclopedia to me, and held my paper next to a picture. They matched. "Same color, texture, grain, and fiber pattern," she told me proudly. "This is the tree you're looking for." She pointed to a thin tree with split blue-green leaves. "They only grow in soil rich with chakra, which should be around... here." She tapped on the map on the table.

"Wow, that's... wow! You're so smart, Setsu!" I exclaimed. Setsu just pulled off the impossible without a sweat.

She rested her head on a fist and gave a grin. "Well, you can return the favor," she said, handing the paper back to me.

"Sure, anything!"

"There's a circus. Can you see if your cousin might be interesting in going? With me?" Her voice rose up in hope.

I slammed my head down on the table. "I thought you're over him."

"Oh, no, not Itachi. I'm talking about the _Peculiar _Uchiha."

Somehow, that did not make anything better. I sighed, and peeled my forehead off the table. I offered my hand, which she shook. "Deal. Thanks for the help, Setsu."

"Any time, Ayae."

As I was leaving, she added, "It's during the Autumn Moon Festival! If you find him, we wouldn't mind seeing Itachi too!"

"Yeah, yeah." I waved bye, shoved the paper back in my pocket, and went officially tree hunting.

The things I do for friendship.

.

I now knew why Konoha was the village hidden in leaves. With 25.5 million trees, Konoha takes the trophy for _the _most plant life of all villages. And no, that was not including the forest around the village. The forest, unfortunately, was where my tree was.

Konoha only had one gate that led in and out of the village. Gin was already there, roundhouse kicking the posts, and Hana was handling registration. For this trip, I would need help. They did me the favor, if not too enthusiastically.

Our fourth member was not as excited. Minoji slouched by the gate. He was forced out by Hana.

Minoji, Hana, and I were Funeno's center table for three years, taking steady first or second place. But in Umino's class, we got murdered when Michio substituted Ayame, and table nine jumped from dead last to first. Meanwhile, the person dragging our team down was Minoji.

I could not get ninjutsu. But Minoji could not get ninjutsu, did not read the assignments, got distracted, and was plain careless the time he forgot to double the knot. We had gotten a good soaking in the water. Hana did not approve.

So when Hana saw an opportunity for a team training session, she jumped at it. At the post, she told security our group would be leaving on a camping trip for the weekend.

"Bag please."

I let the gate security check my bag. I only packed crackers, canned goods, bottles of water, and whatever I raided from the pantries. That and the camping essentials.

"Alright, be careful, and remember to not go beyond the patrol border. Set a flare if you come into any trouble."

"Rogue ninjas?" Gin jumped in, excited.

The guard laughed. "That, I wouldn't worry of. Though, if you kids come across any S ranked criminals along your way…"

"Oh, we'll kick their asses!" Gin said with a tip of his cap. "You are looking at the future Hokage, you know."

Hana face palmed. "Another pre-adolescent boy fallen into the Hokage obsession. When did this happen?"

"Over the break," I said. I did not mentioning that I wanted to be Hokage too. Hey, who would not their head on a mountain?

"Figures."

Two hours of hiking later, the village was hidden by all the trees.

I also understood real danger. There were the beetles the size of watermelons, and spiders that had me screaming my brains out. And I wondered why I told my dad I was going on a sleepover with Tamaki, not going off to die in stupid ways.

"I thought you left the village before," Hana said, pulling me away from the furry spider in my face.

"On the road! The road!" I said, saddling a mossy log. The Grey Triplets barked and leapt beside me, wagging their puppy tails before dashing ahead.

"Ayae, you're a bigger sissy than ever," Gin scoffed, when a leech dropped on his hat. He paled.

I waited. He would have fainted, had Hana not grabbed his hat, flinging the leech aside. "Come on, Mr. Hokage. At this rate, we won't even get there in a week."

Hana knew the way.

We groveled in the ground of snaggy bushes and ferns, dead leaves and bugs. We climbed, fell, and faced anything nature threw at us, from mosquito bites to thorny vines.

We were not even in half a day when Minoji started repeating, "Are we there yet." I was scratching obsessively, and Gin collapsed against a tree stump for his fifth water break.

"Lunch?" Hana suggested.

That got our motivations up. I brought canned peaches and… a red bottle?

"The tomato in the bottle!" Gin said.

Huh. Ketchup. It had been a while. I had not eaten this stuff since two years ago. Back when my dad put some on my omelet, and I had reacted so badly that he never gave it to me again. That had been around the same time Auntie disappeared, her house unlit and cold. It was around the time I spent my Sundays alone in the house, or in front of the door to the Uchiha main house, or in the parks practicing until late evenings.

"What's tomato in a bottle?" Minoji asked, confused.

"Uh, it's like crushed tomatoes… in a bottle." I flipped open the cap.

None of us had bento anymore. But that did not mean lunch was bad. We shared my peaches and crackers, Gin got dried sardines, Minoji got cashews, and Hana got pickled veggies. Our biggest surprise was that ketchup made an excellent dressing for canned meats.

When we were done, we got more pumped. In the following hours, the terrain was flatter, and the swarms of mosquitoes died down. The dogs kept a happy lead, sniffing around.

"So," Gin struck up conversation. "Whose parents know what we're doing?"

I laughed nervously.

Hana said, "I told my mom we're camping in the woods for team bonding before the weather gets cold."

"Isn't that what we're doing?" Minoji asked.

I laughed a little harder. It did not take much to convince Gin to go on quests of stupidity for no reason. Minoji was different. When I took out the paper in my pocket, and told him about my need for a tree hunting group, he stopped.

"Hold on. We're traveling for two days, getting eaten alive by bugs, for a _tree_?" Minoji demanded.

"Um…"

Hana came to my rescue. "It's a test of stamina, endurance, navigation, and detection. It's a team training session. Is there a problem?"

"Yeah! There is! Like I'm wasting my time helping this crazy girl look for a tree!"

Hana narrowed her eyes. All three of her dogs stiffened. Gin and I backed away. I respected Hana enough to know she could kick my butt, and Gin _had_gotten his butt kicked before. There was a reason Hana was number one in school.

"If you do not want to help us, you are welcome to leave," Hana said, before whipping back and marching on. Her dogs were the first to follow.

"Come on! Ginjiro, you're not going to follow girls are you?" Minoji asked Gin.

Gin exchanged a look with me. "Sorry, but if Ayae's getting any unfair special Uchiha training, I'm not missing out. Whatever she did on her vacation, she got faster."

I grinned, until he nudged his cap. "But still scored two points below me, ha!" With that, he stuck out his tongue, and marched on.

I followed third, which left Minoji alone. He ended up tagging along. Only Hana and her dogs knew how to get through the forest, and he did not want to go back alone.

Hana had gotten far, and we had to run to catch up. The sunlight became more intense and the leaves above broke apart, revealing the skies.

When Hana stopped, I nearly crash into her back.

Hana stopped for good reason.

Below us was a chasm. The only rope bridge across was severed at the other side.

The dogs sniffed the edge, before one nudged at a pebble with his nose. The pebbled tipped over the edge. If the pebble hit bottom, we did not hear.

I peeked over the edge. There were sprouts of branches and roots near the surface, but nothing further down. I looked at the other side of the chasm, where the monstrous trees were but little sprouts of broccoli.

Gin joined me by the edged and looked at the bridge, a tattered mess that was a rope and some splintered boards. "Is there a way around?"

Hana shook her head. "A detour will take us five days by foot."

"See! Now can we go back?" Minoji said, staying away from the edge.

The three of us said nothing. I was at a loss of words. My only thought was…

Stupid.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. It was a stupid idea to come out here without an adult, scratching my arms red, dirtied and sore, scared for my life because half the wild life here was poisonous.

It was stupid, because I expected to be stopped by ferocious boars, or S ranked criminals, not a paper cut in the ground. How was I to be a ninja, out traveling the world and going on missions, if I could not even get past a few kilometers from my house!

I buried myself into my hands. Getting past this obstacle was not impossible. With a simple flicker, we could be on our merry way. But I could not do ninjutsu. Not even the most basic substitution. And if someone told me there was some damn princess on top of a tree in need of rescuing, she would be so dead before I even got anywhere near the fire-breathing dragon, because I would still be kneeling here, wondering how the hell to cross over a damn cut in the ground!

Hana touched my shoulder.

"Ayae, how bad do you want that tree?" she asked.

Seeing my reaction, she rolled up her sleeves. "Well then, let's get a move on. We still need to get back by Monday for school."

"Wait, WHAT?" Minoji beckoned to the chasm. "How do you expect us to get across?"

Hana had the answer. After a quick test of the bridge anchors, she gathered her puppies into her backpack, and started her climb down the rope bridge.

"Are you crazy! That's… that's like a billion kilo drop!" Minoji said.

"It's five hundred meters max," Hana said.

"That rope doesn't go down that far!"

"You don't need rope the length of a mountain to climb one."

"We don't know how to climb a mountain!"

There was an alarming drop. When the three of us looked down, Hana stood at the root of a tree, arms crossed. "As far as I'm aware, the Academy has been teaching us how to climb for three years now."

"Yes, up a piece of rock three meters high!"

While Minoji argued with Hana, I kept quiet. Hana was not worried. Hana was not scared.

"Three meters, three thousand, does it matter? Teacher Funeno and Teacher Suzume have taught us all the technique and safety that we need to know."

"But-"

"Minoji." For the first time, Hana interrupted. I winced, because Hana could be exasperated, frustrated, even mad with baring fangs, but never intolerant.

"Do you want to be a ninja?" she asked.

"What does that-"

"Answer the question."

"Yes, but-"

"Then understand that we have a year left, before we test to become official nin, and we are asked to go anywhere, anytime, to do anything, whether it be to survive a blizzard or fight a war. As the heiress of the Inuzuka, I promised myself that I will not back down my duty to my clan and my village. I will be a ninja, I will be the strongest I can be, and I will survive. Now, you are with me, or you are out, but I do not want a half-assed commitment, or a half-assed teammate."

The look in Hana's eyes was intense. But a five hundred meter drop was enough to make _my _knees weak. I did not blame Minoji when he shook his head. The resignation on Hana's face told me she saw this was coming. From her bag, she threw him her compass. "Get out."

Minoji did. I felt uncomfortable watching him go.

Meanwhile, with the team tension gone, Gin stepped in and took the rope. "Heh, didn't like him that much anyway." He grinned. "Ayae? Coming?"

And with that, he hopped down.

It took me a long time. But finally, "Yeah."

Five hundred meters was not too bad. Compared to getting locked up by suspicious chuunin competitors, ambushed by rogue nin, shot by missiles of fire, forced to duel Itachi… oh no, this was cake.

That was not to say I did not miss the days when the scariest things imaginable were Funeno pop quizzes or toe fungus. Or detention.

As I climbed down the rope bridge, a plank gave away. I fell into Gin, before we grabbed the rope again, burning our hands on the way down. My breath was in hysterics, as the rope swung, twisting left and right. My stomach churned so badly, I wanted to throw up.

"You two alright?" Hana called.

"Fine!" we lied.

When the rope settled, I forced my eyes open, and dropped centimeter by centimeter. Nothing more than another rope climbing exercise, I reminded myself.

Suddenly, there were barks.

"Guys! Hold on!"

A gust blew in, one big enough to send us for another ride. My hair slapped against my face, and my arms and hips hit the cliff.

Damn, I missed detention. I missed paper balls and flinging erasers. I even missed _math_.

A snag in the cliff gave us a break. I collapsed onto the platform, and examined my palms. I forgot to pack gloves.

I found my first aid kit. It stung moving my fingers, but I got the job done, pulling on the bandaging with my teeth. Then I helped Gin, who gave me an earful for falling on top of him.

"Do you know how much your butt hurts!" he said.

"Just be glad I didn't nail you with my _head_," I said, tightening his bandages. He cursed, while I stuck out my tongue.

We had a good banter before Hana decided our break was over.

The bridge ended past the halfway point. For the second half, we latched onto the rocks and climbed the hard way.

The cliff was nearly vertical, but we chained a rope between us for safety. Hana also shouted out instructions.

Both my hand and foot grips were steadier than Gin's. Even though rock climbing was much slower, I preferred rock over rope, because rock did not swing like a rope did.

My heart thumped and my ears burned red, but I pushed myself further. Even if I was leaving bloody handprints everywhere, and my muscles hurt, I repeated to myself that I was rank nine. Rank nine. I could do this.

"Ayae, get a move on!"

"I can't do this!" I screamed.

"There's only a hundred meters left!"

_Only _a _hundred_?

I was in hell.

Miraculously, we made it.

However, Gin badly sprained his ankle after a slip, and his foot was swelling. Hana had to deal with her scared puppies, and her voice had gotten coarse from the shouting. I lifted up the edges of pants and found bruises too tender to touch. I broke my nails after my grip had slipped here and there. Ms. Hyuuga would scold me for this.

I also lost all feeling in my hands and feet. The bandages were ripped pieces of dirt and blood. I wiped alcohol over it, taking the rocks, dirt, and sand out of my palm.

Everyone stopped complaining by dinner. At the bottom of the chasm was a stream, hardly at our knees at its deepest. The barren wonderland did not have much else, so we pulled off bits of a rotten log, and burned the wood to make a fire for the night. Before nightfall, colors were returning to our faces.

"So, now what?" Gin asked.

"Tomorrow, we climb up the other side, then continue," Hana said.

I groaned, and buried my face into my futon. "Can't."

"Ayae, you _can_-"

"No, _we_can't," I said, pointing to Gin's foot.

"Don't use him as an excuse."

Before Gin could cut in, I said, "Hana, I've been spewing excuses all the way down here, but this time, I mean it. You and I both know he can't walk, let alone climb. We need to get that checked out by a doctor, not go deeper into the woods."

Hana looked at me. "So you're going to abort mission, after we've come this far."

I did not back down from Hana's stare. "Gin's a little more important to me than a tree."

"Just a little. Gee, flattered, Ayae." Gin conked me with his cap. I whacked him back with my pillow.

But I meant every word I said. We nearly died up there. Every slip had my heart in cartwheels. I would break my fingers to hold on, but I could not stand hearing one of my friends stumble, feeling the tug on my body that told me my grip was the only thing keeping them alive.

That tree could contain a princess in diamonds, with magical Uchiha mojo that would turn me into a super-nin more powerful than the Hokage. But if getting there cost my friends, screw it.

When morning arrived, I stood by my decision to get help. That still left a problem.

"Even if we launch an emergency flare, we're too far down. No one will be able to see it."

I bit my lips.

"Ayae, we don't have an option. The triplets aren't feeling good either, and I'm worried. But one of us needs to get up there and launch that flare."

"Or the three of us can all go," Gin said. Hana and I shot down his idea.

Hana and I, as miserable as we were, _could_climb. That was not the problem. The problem was, _which_wall to climb: the one we came down, or the one at the other side. From either side, we could launch a flare. But going up the _other_ side meant...

"You _could _still get to that tree."

I said nothing. Hana took me by shoulders. "Ayae, once that flare launches and they get taken to a medic, there's nothing more you can do. But you can still go after what you came here for."

"You know, I bet I can get to the hospital faster than you can to your tree," Gin challenged teasingly, and I shot him an Uchiha glare.

"I'll stay with him," Hana whispered.

I took out the crumbled piece of paper from my pocket. Find the tree, said Tomoe. The tree. The tree. The tree. Four steady strokes, as Itachi took my hand and made the calligraphy brush stop shaking.

How badly did I want that tree? How badly did I want Itachi to _not go_. I felt it in my gut that I could not afford to lose him for another two years.

I clenched a fist, and opened my eyes. My friends were waiting for my answer.

I made my decision.

"If no one sees that flare, I'm not going to let Gin be stuck here." I strapped on my backpack. "Besides, we still have school Monday."

I was ready to start climbing the wall back to Konoha, when Hana took my hand and shook her head. "I'll go up first," she said, tossing me a rope. She was the stronger climber and had a better eye for footholds. I let her. Gin and the puppies watched us go.

Hana was great with anchorage, and we linked a rope around our waists for safety. The climb was still risky, and many times we had to jump to reach or get creative. I was sloppy twice, rushed and fell. My link to Hana saved me.

At a platform, I winced at the deep cuts on Hana's hands and arms, from when she held both our weights until I got back my footing.

She said nothing of it, but ate lunch. Meanwhile, I shouted, "HEY! GIN!"

There was some echo from him that sounded like "Alive?"

"YUP!"

Eventually, Hana and I reached the edge of the bridge, and took a hold of the rope. By then, we had no strength left to hold on, let alone climb up.

But I was still stunned when it was _Hana_lost grip and fell.

I felt the tug around my waist, and fell too. My arm went through one board after another. I could not carry both my and Hana's weight, but I entangled my arm and body around the rope. My elbow locked with a plank.

I squeezed shut my eyes and used all my strength to hold on. Hana was gone too far. She was out of reach of the bridge.

Breathing hard, I looked up and saw the clear sky far above the chasm. I wrapped my legs tighter around the rope, and freed a hand and reached into my pockets.

With my teeth, I yanked off the string of the flare and launched it loose, just as I slipped and lost another meter of rope.

Everything went white. The noise came after, a deafening boom. Then, there was silence.

I hugged the last plank of the bridge. The rope swayed slightly with my weight. I snapped shut my eyes so I would not look down. I made myself think of nothing. I made myself feel nothing. Instead, I counted.

One. Two. Three.

Eighteen. Nineteen.

Eighty.

Two eighty.

Through the shaking, I breathed.

Three eighty.

I was a statue. I did not bend. I breathed.

Eight hundred.

Eight zero one.

Eight zero two.

Eight zero three.

The world was black. Itachi sat in front of me, cross-legged. His eyes were closed too. Just count. It was okay. Once we reached a million, we would wake up together.

.

I dozed in and out several times. But when I did wake up, I was numb.

I stared at a white ceiling. There was a beeping noise somewhere behind me. Past that, it was quiet.

I tried to get up. I could not. I could not move my hands. I could not even move my head.

In a slump, I waited. For hours, I waited. Finally, I was awake enough to scream.

A nurse ran into the room. "You're awake!"

I looked at him. "I'm hungry!"

As the nurses came and fed me, they told me what happened. I was sleeping for a _week_. No wonder I was starving. Once they sat me upright, I also saw the cast on my arm. Falling through all the planks had broken my arm in three places, and my hand. I had surgery. The doctors had done a lot of work on other parts of me too.

I asked how bad. I winced at the answer. I had lost many nails. There would be scars. Everything would hurt later. I did not feel anything now, but the medicine will wear off.

"But my feet are okay, right?" I asked.

"As I've said, there are-"

"They _will _be okay, right?"

The nurse stopped, and then nodded.

Life would be bad for a while, but it would get better. As long as I could still do ballet, I was fine.

My dad was not fine. Later that day, the door opened and he stomped by my bed side, his face bloated and red.

"Oh no." I shrunk. "No, dad, no."

He clenched his fists.

"Dad, I was bad. I'm sorry I lied to you. I was stupid. Please ground me. Come on, daddy, _please_ don't cry!"

It was hopeless. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me blue. He was crying waterfalls. I felt so bad.

"Sweetie," he hiccupped. "You are grounded _forever_, you hear me! You are never ever allowed to leave the house again!"

"But- but-"

"No but!"

"But _school_-"

"No school!"

More waterfalls. I sighed.

"You will not keep her away from ballet at least, Mr. Kenta."

By the door, Ms. Hyuuga stood. Heads also peeked out from behind her. My entire dance class was there. While Ms. Hyuuga tried to talk sense to my dad, my dance class gave me their get well wishes.

I was visited by many people in the next few days.

Hana came first. She sat by my side, looking down. She made it through our adventure okay, though I saw bandages around her hands and fingers, and a patch on her cheek.

"Ayae, I need to apologize."

"What! Listen Hana, it's NOT your fault that you slipped. You know how many times I-"

She shook her head. "I was far too aggressive. I overestimated my abilities, and put us all at risk." Hana sighed. Then, she looked at me. "I think I underestimated you."

"Eh?"

"You held on to that rope for twenty-two minutes, carrying both our weights, until the border patrol arrived." Hana stood up and grinned. "I'm glad to have you on my team."

With that, she slid the door open and let the rest of the mob in. Giant balloons and baskets peeked from the hallways.

"AYAE!" everyone shouted. "How are you feeling?"

My friends clustered around the bed. I got buried under gifts and cards. Even Ayame came from her school and gave me boxes of desserts. Everyone dug into the cakes with me while they chatted about the days of school I missed. I went into story-telling mode and told everyone about the chasm and what happened.

"At least you'll ace those rock climbing drills now," Dai joked.

"You don't think Teacher Umino would give me extra credit, would he?" I asked, serious. My grades needed any boost it could get.

There was knock on the door. Hana slid it open, and a red cap popped in. Gin blinked at the room of girls. He would have run away, had he not been on clutches and everyone dragged him inside.

"Um… got news that you're awake." Gin scratched his head, then looked away and held out a mug for me. Growing out of the mug were wildflowers of all colors. He must have dug them out of the park. "You're supposed to give flowers… right?"

I beamed. I hated being locked in the hospital, and the grass helped to bring the outside indoors.

However, all of my other friends started to giggle. "_Ooh_!"

Gin got embarrassed, and I turned red too. Thankfully, Tamaki saved us. She got up from my bed and pushed everyone out of the room. "We'll let you guys talk in private," she said and slid the door close.

As soon as everyone was gone, I dropped my shoulders.

"Hey, how's your foot?"

Gin grabbed the chair by the bed. "Eh, the doctor said I could rid of the cast in a week or two. How are you?"

"Horrible! I can't even MOVE!" I said, squirming. "And I'm still on that weird medicine!"

Gin made a face. "How long are you going to be here?"

"At least another week!" I cried. "I can't stay here that long! I'm missing enough school work as it is!"

"It's only practices," Gin said, waving it off. "You'll be okay. What are we going to do about your tree thing, though?"

I moaned. "We're going to need a better plan, seeing how that trip was a _disaster_. After we're all better, maybe I'll speak to Setsu and Hana again. There must be a safer way to get there."

Gin was about to say something, when we heard a ruckus in the hallway. The door opened again.

Tamaki peeked in. "Ayae?" She looked nervous.

I tilted my head. "What's up?"

She slid the door a little wider. Itachi was there.

The girls looked at Itachi, then at Gin, then back at Itachi. Gin looked at the bouquet of flowers in Itachi's arms, and Itachi looked at the mug Gin was holding.

Oh…

Shit.

"I apologize. It seems as if I came at an inappropriate time."

"Yeah, we're in the middle of something," Gin said.

Before Itachi could leave, I shouted, "Wait!"

Itachi stopped. Gin looked at me. I glanced back at him. The girls looked at me.

I thought it over, and realized that it really would be better if Itachi came back later. But I had already spoken. And it would be rude to make Itachi go away.

"No, come in," I said, ignoring Gin's glare.

The girls let Itachi through, before closing the door and whispering in the hallway.

Itachi set the flowers on a vase by the windowsill so they would catch the sunlight. The petals were white and yellow with seashell-like buds.

"How are you feeling, Ayae?"

"Great! The doctor said I can probably get out in another week or so," I said.

Itachi paused, listening. "I was informed you were injured in an accident during your camping trip," he said softly. He looked at me. "Is that true?"

My breathing stopped. I got nervous.

"Yeah." I laughed. "Kind of sad, huh? We have survival training all the time in school, but I guess I still need to brush up on my basics."

"I heard you left the village."

"Yeah."

"You left the village unsupervised."

I got really nervous. "Well, I was with Hana, Gin, and Minoji too."

"Three Academy students." His voice was not soft anymore.

I swallowed. But before I could say anything, Gin set down his mug. Impatient, he said, "Look, why do you care?"

Itachi turned to Gin. "I beg your pardon?"

"So what if we left Konoha. You got a problem with that?"

"Actually, yes. I will object to anything that may lead her to harm, and I do not know what or who gave her the idea to leave the village with three liable Academy students, but she will never do such a foolish thing again."

"Itachi!"

Gin grabbed a clutch and stood up. "And who are you to say what she can and can't do?"

Itachi did not blink. "The clan heir," he said. "Ayae is of my clan, my family, and under my jurisdiction."

Gin did not back down either. "_What_ clan? _What_ family? You don't talk to her. You know even _know _her, and you think some fancy title allows you to walk in anytime and boss people around?"

"Gin!"

"I wonder, Ayae, if this is the source of your misconstrued judgments."

"Ayae, I think he's done giving his flowers now."

"Guys, cut it out!"

"I would send you my condolences too, but I do remember hearing that it was your incompetency that caused of her hospitalization."

"If you think I'm not cut out for it, why don't you help her? Oh that's right, you didn't. You weren't in the picture at all."

"Are you suggesting I should be?"

"Getting the hell out? Yeah!"

I wanted to bury my face into my pillow and pull the covers over my head. When they continued fighting, I had enough of the noise and yelled, "OUT!"

Itachi and Gin stopped and turned to me. "Both of you! Out, out, out!"

"Ayae-"

I would not hear it. I called for the girls and made them kick both out for me. Then I buried my forehead on Ayame's shoulder. "Great, now I feel bad! I hate boys!"

Ayame patted me on the back. "It's okay, Ayae. I've read boys come up with awkward ways to show they care."

"I think it's kind of _romantic_." Setsu giggled.

I paused, and looked at the mug of wildflowers.

Then, at the gardenias by the window.

I buried myself again and cried, "If it were romantic, you'd think at least one of them would have gotten my favorite flower right!"

.

"He's gone."

"You know, Itachi was supposed to have left for his mission a week ago. He stayed in the village and visited you every day until the day you were awake. He and Aunt Mikoto both," Shisui said.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" I slumped on the couch of Aunt Mikoto's home. The medicine wore off. I had screamed and cried and screamed some more, until I got another painkiller popped in my mouth and Aunt Mikoto fed me yummy tomato soup.

"Ooh, this will make honey doll feel better!" Michio jumped in and held out a pot.

I looked up from my homework, and raised an eyebrow at his gift. "You got me a _cactus_."

"A very prickly cactus! It represents the endurance of a thousand men!"

I shied away from the cactus and went back to my homework. It was hard writing with my left hand, but I made it work. I only got three lines in when Shisui spoke up again.

"Squirt, this is serious. You're making everyone worry."

I sighed. "Shisui, I've already gotten the lecture from my dad, my teachers, even Aunt Mikoto! Do I really need one more?"

"You almost died, squirt. Had the border patrol arrived a few seconds late…"

"They didn't!"

"More importantly, Itachi's worried. He's scared you'll pull another stunt like this again."

I frowned and wrote a crooked _ta_. "Well, tell him not to. We made a mistake. I'll just get stronger, and it won't happen next time."

"There… is no next time."

I stopped. "What?"

"Because you are forbidden from leaving the village again," Shisui mumbled in one breath.

I stared.

Shisui looked away. "Look, squirt, I'm sure that once you're genin and under a jounin teacher, you can do as you like. But until then, well…"

"I can't believe it! Did Itachi make you tell me this?"

"And me," Michio said, smiling. "A lot of people actually. Before Itachi dearest left, he has placed a mandate on the eight members of the police, five guards of the clan, four guards of the Konoha main gate _and _the commander to detain and return you back to the village if they ever catch you trying to leave."

"Did Itachi just _ground _me?"

Michio chuckled. "If you want to put it _that_ way," he said. "Just because he's never used his power before doesn't mean he doesn't have it. Only six people in this clan can override his order: the two clan elders, the clan head and chief, the lieutenant, Lady Mikoto, and Lady Tomoe. And I doubt any of them will evoke his order for you."

"Maybe it's for the best, squirt," Shisui said, scratching his head. "The forest isn't exactly the safest."

"I don't care if the forest is safe or not!" I yelled. I was counting down the days I could go back again, because in that forest was where I could test myself. I had enough of the stupid homework and practice drills. I was confident in the playground and parks, but I was nothing in that forest. I was pathetic, I was struggling, and I was _getting somewhere_. "You and Itachi go off to other countries every day, and you expect me to stay home like a good girl? How can I ever get better, how can I ever be a ninja, if you won't let me leave my own home!"

"Squirt-"

"I'm the same age as Itachi, and do you see what he is doing? It's everything I can't! I'm putting everything I have to climb up to him, but how are we ever supposed to meet eye to eye if he treats me like some child!"

With a sob, I fell back down on the couch. The medicine was wearing off again. I looked at my cast, and closed my eyes. I decided I was not calling Aunt Mikoto for another painkiller. Some pain was good. Some pain let me understand Itachi a little better.

There was a chuckle.

"Honey doll, in case you've forgotten, you _are _a child."

Before I knew it, there were the jingles of bangles, and Michio was crouching on top of me, staring down. His eyes were black as coal.

"This clan of ours don't have too many of those. I don't blame Itachi dearest for wanting to keep this one alive just a little longer." I thought he was going to kiss me, but he just flashed his crooked teeth. "But you can die, honey doll. You can die and join us."

His hand went to my neck. "Just start digging. Only seven people in this clan can override your orders."

He pulled out my necklace. The ring gleamed in the evening light.

.

My grades sank. I had okay grades before, but after my injuries, they got abysmal. I would not take any more painkillers, but the pain made it hard to sleep at night, pay attention in class, or even walk straight. I could barely write, let alone do any hand signs. Except for some running, I stayed out of the physicals and was no help to my table.

Thankfully, I had a summer before my second term. I crammed, tested my katas, and had spars with Gin in the parks. I did not plan on leaving Konoha for a while, but I could not even if I wanted to. Not one gate guard would let me through. I would need to plan to get around them someday.

My cast came off on my eleventh birthday. My arm was not straight, and the scar was ugly. In the streets, people would stare. I got so embarrassed I wore long sleeves even when it was too hot. I worried I could not do ballet anymore. Dancers had to be beautiful. I also worried what all my friends would think when I went back to school in fall.

Aunt Mikoto saw I was sad about this, so one day she took me to Itachi's room.

"What-"

She took out a roll of bandages from his desk. I sat on Itachi's bed, while she wrapped the strips of cloth around my fingers, around and around, all the way to my arm.

When she brought me to a mirror, I looked like a real ninja.

"My sons wear these all the time. It helps to protect your skin when you train." She knelt by my side and smiled. "I cannot say this will make you as pretty as a swan, but it does make you a pretty kunoichi. A kunoichi who can wear her dresses again."

My lips quivered, before I tackled Aunt Mikoto in a hug.

Back in the living room, I saw something among all the paperwork on the floor.

'Uchiha Sasuke.'

I opened the report card.

"Auntie, where is Sasuke?" I asked, setting the card down.

In the kitchen, Aunt Mikoto chopped a few greens. "He left for training," she sighed, shaking her head. "Boys." She turned to me. "Ayae dear, you must be hungry. What do you feel like eating today?"

I looked out the window. I was going to run over to Gin's and get started on our park races. But then I looked at Aunt Mikoto. Now that Sasuke was gone too, she looked lonely.

"Hm, I wouldn't mind some oyakodon!" I dashed up to her. "Can I help you make it, Auntie? I want to learn how to cook too!"

Aunt Mikoto was surprised, but then she laughed and handed me an egg. "Of course."

Aunt Mikoto made very good oyakodon. I made very bad oyakodon. And tempura. And sushi. Especially sushi.

When fall semester started, I brought everyone my sushi. Since Ayame was not around anymore, I thought it would be nice to treat everyone instead. Only, all my friends spat out their pieces.

I winced. "That bad?"

"Ugh, Ayae, I don't know what gave you the idea to _cook_, but you're damn awful at it!" Gin said, gurgling on his apple juice.

I pouted, and tried a piece for myself. After going green in the face, I spat out my piece too and wondered if I could switch my sushi with Sasuke's bento. He was still in class.

But the bell rang, and we had to go back to Teacher Umino. He took us to the side fields, to a sparring ground.

"For the new semester, we will return to Traditional Shinobi Sparring, one on one. Victor moves to next round. One point will be given to the table team for every victory. "

Everyone got ready and stretched. I glanced at Hana. Her eyes were focused. Our table was in last place, but sparring was Hana's strong point. She could get a lot of points for us.

Michio smirked and flashed me a look too.

I frowned. His table was first place.

"First match, Dai and Ayae-" Teacher Umino looked up from his clipboard, and laughed apologetically to me. "I'm sorry, Ayae. If your arm is still weak, you are welcome to sit out."

I pushed up front. "No, no! I'm better now!" I said, showing the teacher my bandaged arm. "Please let me fight!"

Teacher Umino nodded. "If you're sure."

In the rink, Dai gave me a funny look. "Dude, Ayae, are you sure?" she whispered.

I nodded, and hurried to braid my hair.

At the signal, we both distanced and held up the sign of confrontation.

Dai walked closer, but she did not attack. So I did. I went from my first kata to my second in a drop.

"Dang, Ayae!" Dai leaped out of the way of my thrust. I did not give her the chance to get away again. I untangled into my next stance, spun, and kicked down. Hard.

I breathed.

Dai got up and rubbed her back. "Well, guess I'm not going easy on you," she laughed. When I did not smile, she got confused, then nervous. "Ayae-?"

I slid in, jabbed her with my elbow, and weaved around her back to finish with a roundhouse.

Dai fell. The class got quiet. Teacher Umino watched me closely.

Dai reached out her hand and locked two fingers with mine. Laughing sheepishly, I pulled her up. "Ahaha, I got a bit restless after all those months," I said. "Sorry!"

"Ow ow ow, if I end up in a hospital, you're going to be treating me to mochi next!"

Dai left the grounds, rubbing her neck, embarrassed. Teacher Umino said, "Victor, Uchiha Ayae. One point for table five!" My friends cheered.

I stood in the sparring ground, while another classmate of mine was called up. We made the sign of confrontation and attacked. I swiveled away and kicked him. When he got up, I kicked him back down. When he got back up, I blocked his punch and pushed him out of the circle.

"Victor, Uchiha Ayae. Two points for table five!"

The next boy fell too. Setsu was easy to push out. Blue Hair, I kicked to the ground hard. And her friend. The next two classmates went down too.

"_Ten _points for table five!"

"Holy cow, she's on a roll," Setsu said, hanging onto Dai.

"Uchiha Ayae versus Kobayashi Tamaki, begin!"

"Wow, you've really gotten strong, Ayae," Tamaki said. "It's almost like you've never gotten injured."

I grinned, before I extended my arm for a punch to her face. Startled, she squeaked and backed away. Then, Tamaki dropped her smile and got serious, going down to trip me. I landed on my palm and cartwheeled, then twisted and struck.

"I forfeit!"

My eyes grew wide. I could not stop my hand. Tamaki did not move, so I hit her across the face. It made a loud noise. Her head turned to the side. It looked like she was going to cry.

"Tamaki- I'm sor-"

Tamaki gave a bitter smile, took my hand, and locked two fingers with mine. "You've gotten strong."

When she got back in the crowd, she called out to me and wished me luck, cheering.

Two more went down before I finally got to Gin.

He had on a smug grin, and stretched as he walked into the circle. "Someone's hogging all the spotlight."

"You're welcome to take some," I said, grinning back. "If you can."

Of all the people I had fought so far, Gin was the only one who did not back down when I charged at him. He met me with full force, grabbed my fist or leg instead of running away. He was the one I trained with. He was the one who knew my moves well enough to counter with his own. It was dirty, it was messy, with both our backs rolling in the dirt, and everything banged against everything else. His cap fell, and one of my braids became undone.

But while he wanted to knock me down, I wanted him to get out of my way. I wanted to _beat _him, go _past_ him, and move _ahead_. Tying for three years was long enough.

He winced when I got his leg. I winced when he hit my arm. But I blocked, held on, then grabbed his arm and yanked him to me. He lost balance, and with one push, I forced him out of the circle.

Breathing heavily, I fell. I sat for a while, waiting for my heartbeat to calm.

"Hey, you can't give up _yet_."

I looked up to see Gin extending a hand to me. Laughing, we locked fingers, and he helped me up. Then he whispered, "And you got lucky."

He picked up his cap and walked back to the crowd. I stuck out my tongue at him.

Even though I was exhausted, everyone after Gin was easy. Minoji went down. Other classmates went down.

"_Eighteen _points for table five! Table five is now in third place."

People cheered for me louder than ever. There were whispers too.

Hana stood in the sparring ground with me. "Looks like you've picked up the slack. You want to hand the baton over?"

When I got up, Hana frowned. "Ayae, you took some pretty hard hits. You really should rest."

I shook my head and made the sign for confrontation. Hana looked at me hard, and then made the same sign. "You're asking for pain."

"You know what a wise friend once told me?" I asked, going into my first kata again.

"What?"

"_The pain goes away_." And I was not scared of it anymore.

Hana was too fast, and I skidded across the ground within seconds of the match. I shielded one kick after another. I opened my eyes and saw the whip of a ponytail, as Hana hit me with her knee, flipped me over, and finished with a kick.

I landed within a centimeter of the boundary line.

Hana let out a soft breath, and straightened from her crouch.

Hana was too fast. She worked to instinct. Fighting was natural to her.

I breathed, feeling the sweat down my back.

Ballet tricks were not enough to win here. Force was not enough.

I looked at the bandages around my arm. I needed something else.

My eyes went to Hana. It was time for some yin.

It was time to stop fighting a current and set a sail. When she gave, it was time to take. When she stepped forward, it was time to step back. It was time to shrink and fall, follow and defend. It was time to take the pain and weaken the opponent; it was time to throw her off rhythm, leave her in confusion, and at the borderline, end the fight with one simple pull.

Hana was done.

I won.

There was only one person left in the class.

Michio tilted his head, his hands pocketed.

"Honey doll don't look too good."

My knees were shaking when I tried to stand up. There was the taste of blood in my mouth, and my lungs burned. Teacher Umino call for me to take a break, but I only asked for a hair tie. I pulled out the ribbons still tangled and knotted in my hair and threw them aside. Instead of braiding again, I pulled my hair together into a messy bun.

Then I made one last seal of confrontation. One last person.

"Let's go, Michio," I breathed.

"Honey doll don't look too good," Michio repeated. "Honey doll is supposed to be pretty and cute."

I laughed, and wiped the dirt from my cheeks. "You're telling me Itachi was pretty when he did this."

"Itachi dearest is a boy, honey doll. Boys are supposed to be dirty so the girls don't have to be. If you're getting dirty along with him, then that defeats the whole point, doesn't it?"

"And Tomoe?"

Michio looked at me weirdly. "Does Lady Tomoe look pretty and cute to you? Michi does not think so. She had no boys, so she had to get dirty in their place. And because of that, instead of a beautiful princess, she is a wicked witch."

I had no words when Michio looked at me pitifully. "Aunt Miko really wanted to be a princess. She had so many dolls, and read so many fairy tales, and even dreamed of marrying the prince charming of the clan. She was so close to being one too, had it not been for the stupid wars that turned her prince into a dragon and her heart to ice. It's sad, really. The clan has beautiful girls, all sweet and graceful, with wide eyes and pure skin, but all of them have traded their beauty for power when their boys failed them."

"I'm not-"

"Itachi dearest is the boy. The more he sees you hurt, down in the dirt like this, the more he will think he has failed you."

I dropped my stance.

Michio still had his hands pocketed. "You can still grow up to be a pretty swan, honey doll. Remember that, before you give everything up and I knock out your two front teeth," he said.

Grinning, he held up two fingers for the sign of confrontation.

"Michio?"

"Hm?"

"Just shut up and let me kick your ass."


End file.
